Counterfeit cashier's checks drawn on West Coast Bank, Lake Oswego, Oregon, are reportedly in circulation

West Coast Bank, Lake Oswego, Oregon, contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the institution's name are in circulation. The counterfeit items display the routing number 123200088, which is assigned to West Coast Bank.

The counterfeit items are dissimilar to authentic cashier's checks. The counterfeit checks display a logo of a triangle with diagonal stripes, and they do not include the bank's telephone number. The counterfeit items are printed on bank stock paper with a tan background and micro-printing, with a watermark on the reverse side.

Authentic cashier's checks display the bank's logo, which is a triangle containing tree and river shapes, in the top-center portion of the check. Authentic checks also display the bank's telephone number directly beneath "Lake Oswego, Oregon." The checks are multicolored, with a range of peach, yellow and green shades from left to right. Also, authentic checks have a foil strip hologram on the top, a lock symbol to the right of the dollar amount line, and a gray strip at the bottom.

Copies of a counterfeit item and a voided authentic check are attached for your review.

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

Jeffrey Korte
Corporate Security Manager
West Coast Bank
P.O. Box 8000 Mail Stop 150-11
Wilsonville, OR 97070
Phone Number: (503) 454-3377
Fax Number: (503) 454-3353
Email: kortej@wcb.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/2006/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