Counterfeit official checks drawn on Gate City Bank, Fargo, North Dakota, are reportedly in circulation

Gate City Bank, Fargo, North Dakota, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit official checks bearing the institution's name are in circulation.

The counterfeit items display the proper routing number of 291370918 for Gate City Bank; however, the fraudulent items are markedly dissimilar to authentic bank checks. Authentic official checks do not include the routing number for Gate City Bank and are payable through First Interstate Bank, Helena, Montana. Also, the layout, style and fonts are different. The counterfeit items use the term “CASHIER'S CHECK,” which is located in the bottom left portion of the check, while Gate City Bank uses the term “OFFICIAL CHECK,” which is located at the top of the check. A copy of a counterfeit item and a copy of an authentic official check (VOID) are attached for your review.

Any information you have concerning this matter should be brought to the attention of:

Shelly Lindlauf
Internal Auditor
Gate City Bank
500 Second Avenue North
Fargo, North Dakota 58102
Telephone: (701) 293-2540
Fax: (701) 293-2449
shelly.lindlauf@gatecitybank.com

Information about these instruments may be forwarded to the FDIC's Cyber-Fraud and Financial Crimes Section, 550 17th Street, N.W., Room F-4004, Washington, D.C. 20429, or transmitted electronically to alert@fdic.gov. Information related to federal deposit insurance or consumer issues should be submitted to the FDIC using an online form that can be accessed at http://www2.fdic.gov/starsmail/index.asp.

For your reference, FDIC Special Alerts may be accessed from the FDIC's Web site at www.fdic.gov/news/news/SpecialAlert/2005/index.html. To learn how to automatically receive FDIC Special Alerts through e-mail, please visit www.fdic.gov/about/subscriptions/index.html.

Michael J. ZamorskiDirector
Division of Supervision and Consumer Protection