Counterfeit cashier's checks drawn on Hometown Bank, Higganum, Connecticut, are reportedly in circulation

Liberty Bank, Middletown, Connecticut, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the name Hometown Bank are in circulation. Liberty Bank and Hometown Bank merged in 2001.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 211174356, which is assigned to Liberty Bank. The counterfeit items bear the name of Hometown Bank and display an address of 26 Killingworth Road, Higganum, CT 06441. Authentic checks bearing the name Hometown Bank are no longer issued. A copy of a counterfeit item is attached for your review.

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

Gary Mackiewicz
Security Officer
Liberty Bank
315 Main Street
Middletown, CT 06457
Phone: (888) 570-0773
Fax: (860) 638-2934
Email: gmackiewicz@liberty-bank.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