Counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the name Liberty Savings Bank, Middletown, Connecticut, are reportedly in circulation

Liberty Bank, Middletown, Connecticut, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit checks bearing the name Liberty Savings Bank are in circulation. The counterfeit items are associated with a lottery scam and are accompanied by a sweepstakes notification letter with an Ontario, Canada, address.

The counterfeit items include the routing number 211170282, which is assigned to Liberty Bank. However, Liberty Bank issues official checks through an Integrated Payment Systems, Inc. account held at JP Morgan Chase Bank, NA, Denver, Colorado, and those checks display the routing number 102000979.

The counterfeit items display "LIBERTY SAVINGS BANK, Middletown, CT., 1-866-802-4458" on three lines located in the top-center portion of the item. The toll-free telephone is not associated with the Liberty Bank. Additionally, a liberty bell logo appears in the top-left corner of the item with the words "Cashier's Check" displayed beneath the logo.

Authentic checks display "OFFICIAL CHECK" inside a box with rounded corners in the top-center portion of the check. The words "LIBERTY BANK" appear in the top-left corner and the "I" in "LIBERTY " is displayed as a torch.

A copy of a counterfeit item and a copy of an authentic official check (VOID) is attached for your review.

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

Gary Mackiewicz
Security Officer and Assistant Vice President
Liberty Bank
315 Main Street
Middletown, Connecticut 06457
Telephone: (860) 638-2902
Fax: (860) 638-2901
E-mail: gmackiewicz@liberty-bank.com

To report this scam or any other scam based in or mailed from Canada, please contact Phonebusters, which is a joint partnership between the Ontario Provincial Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Phonebusters is interested in receiving copies of scam letters, particularly those involving Canadian mailing addresses or telephone numbers. Records relating to the payment of advance fees should also be forwarded to Phonebusters. This information is used to assist in the strategic targeting of would-be fraudsters. Scam letters should be forwarded to the Phonebusters National Call Center (PNCC) as follows:

Mail: Box 686
North Bay, Ontario, Canada
P1B 8J8Web site: www.phonebusters.comTelephone: +1 (888) 495-8501 (toll-free in Canada and the USA)Fax: +1 (888) 654-9426 (toll-free in Canada and the USA)E-mail: info@phonebusters.comAdvance fee fraud (including Nigerian and lottery letters): wafl@phonebusters.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 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