Counterfeit cashier's checks drawn on California Oaks State Bank, Thousand Oaks, California, are reportedly in circulation

California Oaks State Bank, Thousand Oaks, California, 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 122242681, which is assigned to California Oaks State Bank. The counterfeit items do not display a logo or the bank's mailing address. The items display the wording "MATCH THE AMOUNT IN WORDS WITH THE AMOUNT IN NUMBERS" on a line between the dollar amount and the signature line. A bar code is displayed above the left side of the signature line. Also, "Cashier's Check" is repeated on the top center and bottom center of the item.

Authentic cashier's checks display a logo of an oak tree adjacent to the bank's name, address and toll-free telephone number in the top-left corner of the check. Also, "Cashier's Check," which is displayed in the top-center portion of the check, is not repeated on the bottom of the check.

A copy of a counterfeit item and a copy of an authentic cashier's check (VOID) are attached for your review.

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

Catherine Giuffre
Vice President- Operations Manager
California Oaks State Bank
50 West Hillcrest Drive
Thousand Oaks, California 91360
Telephone: (805) 496-6774
Fax: (805) 496-0014
E-mail: catherineg@caloaks.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.

Sandra L. ThompsonActing Director
Division of Supervision and Consumer Protection