Counterfeit cashier's checks drawn on Farmers and Merchants Bank of South Carolina, Holly Hill, South Carolina, are reportedly in circulation

Farmers and Merchants Bank of South Carolina, Holly Hill, South Carolina, 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 routing number 053204280, which is assigned to Farmers and Merchants Bank of South Carolina, Holly Hill, South Carolina. The counterfeit items are dissimilar to authentic checks, with a different layout, style and font. Authentic checks have a scroll on the top of the checks, while the counterfeit checks have wording embedded in the top edge. A copy of a counterfeit item and an authentic check (VOID) are attached for your review.

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

William H. Sohm, Jr.
Vice President and Auditor
Farmers and Merchants Bank of South Carolina
8624 Old State Road, P. O. Box 68
Holly Hill, South Carolina 29059
Telephone: (803) 496-1428
Fax: (803) 496-3964
hsohm@fmbsc.com

Information about counterfeit items, cyber-fraud incidents and other fraudulent activity 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. Spoth Acting Director
Division of Supervision and Consumer Protection