Counterfeit checks drawn on The Chelsea Groton Savings Bank, Norwich, Connecticut, are reportedly in circulation

The Chelsea Groton Savings Bank, Norwich, Connecticut, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit checks bearing the institution's name are in circulation.

The counterfeit items display the proper routing number of 211173357 for The Chelsea Groton Savings Bank; however, the fraudulent items are markedly dissimilar to authentic bank checks. In the counterfeit items, the bank name is stacked with one word on top of the other (“Chelsea” on top, “Groton” in the middle and “Bank” at the bottom) in the upper-left portion of the item. In authentic checks, the bank name appears horizontally as “ChelseaGroton Bank” (no space between “Chelsea” and “Groton”), preceded by the bank logo, in the upper-left portion of the check. Also in authentic checks, the wording “Treasurer's Check” appears in the top-center area of the check; counterfeit items do not include this wording. A copy of a counterfeit item and a copy of an authentic check (VOID) are attached for your review.

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

Donna Thompson
Assistant Treasurer, Security Officer
The Chelsea Groton Savings Bank
1 Franklin Square
Norwich, Connecticut 06360
Telephone: (860) 823-4906
Fax: (860) 823-4901
donnathompson@chelseagroton.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 website 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.

Chris topher J. Spoth

Acting Director
Division of Supervision and Consumer Protection