Counterfeit official checks drawn on Concordia Bank & Trust Company, Vidalia, Louisiana, are reportedly in circulation

Concordia Bank & Trust, Vidalia, LA, has reported to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) that counterfeit official checks bearing the institution's name are in circulation.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 111102431, which is assigned to Concordia Bank & Trust, Vidalia, LA. However, the counterfeit items are markedly dissimilar to authentic checks. Authentic checks are standard 3 ¼ x 8 ½ inches in size, and have a light blue background with royal blue font. They also bear the words “CASHIER'S CHECK” in a red font, while the counterfeit items bear the words “OFFICIAL CHECK.” In addition, authentic checks have the bank's name and logo centered at the top of the check, while the counterfeit items have the bank's name and logo in the upper-left corner. A copy of a counterfeit item and an authentic cashier's check (void) are attached.

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

John Mark Williams Chief Operations Officer/Security Officer Concordia Bank & Trust Company 904 Carter Street Vidalia, LA 71373 Telephone: (318) 336-6006 Fax: (318) 336-7673 jmw@concordiabank.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.

Christopher J. SpothActing Director
Division of Supervision and Consumer Protection