Counterfeit official checks drawn on BankAnnapolis, Annapolis, Maryland, are reportedly in circulation

BankAnnapolis, Annapolis, Maryland, 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 102000979, which is assigned to the account of Integrated Payments Systems, Inc., Englewood, Colorado, held at Chase (formerly Bank One, N.A.), Denver, Colorado. BankAnnapolis issues official checks through Integrated Payment Systems, Inc. The counterfeit items are relatively similar to authentic checks in layout. However, the border on authentic official checks is a scroll pattern, with a box incorporated into the border and the wording "Official Check" inside of the box. The counterfeit items do not have a scroll pattern border or a box; however, "Official Check" is displayed in the top center of the counterfeit items. In addition, the counterfeit items display a telephone number, which is not associated with the bank; authentic checks do not display a telephone number. A copy of a counterfeit item and a copy of an authentic official check (VOID) are attached for your review.

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

Patsy Houck
Senior Vice President — Operations and Branch Administration
BankAnnapolis
1000 Bestgate Road
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Telephone: (410) 224-4455
Fax: (410) 244-2943
phouck@bankannapolis.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