Counterfeit official checks drawn on Unity National Bank, Cartersville, Georgia, are reportedly in circulation

Unity National Bank, Cartersville, Georgia, has contacted the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to report that counterfeit official checks bearing the institution 's name are in circulation.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 0611196000; however, the routing number assigned to Unity National Bank is 061119600. Note that one extra "0" appears in the routing number of the counterfeit items. The counterfeit items are included with a letter notifying the recipient that he or she is a winner of the "Australia Sweepstake Lottery/International Programme" or "Sweepstakes Lottery/International Program."

The counterfeit items display the bank's name in the top-center portion of the item and "Cartersville GA 30120" on the following line. The following statement is printed in royal blue across the top border of the item: "THE FACE OF THIS CHECK IS PRINTED BLUE–THE BACK CONTAINS A SIMULATED WATERMARK." An incorrect fractional routing number of "84-080/611" appears to the right of the date. A security lock feature is displayed in the bottom right area of the item.

Authentic official checks are printed on blue check stock. The bank's name, address and telephone number are located in the top-center portion of the check, printed on five lines. The dedicated areas to complete for remitter – date, pay to the order of, amount, and authorized signature – are underscored. The section indicating the numeric dollar amount is enclosed in a rectangular box.

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

Hazel Temples
Security Officer
Unity National Bank
950 Joe Frank Harris Parkway SE
Cartersville, Georgia 30121
Telephone: (770) 387-3019
Fax: (678) 721-4419
E-mail: htemples@unitynationalbank.com

Additional informationconcerning this matter that you believe should be brought to the OCC'sattention may be forwarded to:

Mail:Office of the Comptroller of the CurrencyEnforcement & Compliance Division, MS 8-10
250 E Street, SW
Washington, DC 20219Fax: (202) 874-5301 E-mail: occalertresponses@occ.treas.govInternet:http://www.occ.treas.gov

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 website 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.

Sandra L. ThompsonActing Director
Division of Supervision and Consumer Protection