Counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the name Chester County Bank, Henderson, Tennessee, are reportedly in circulation

Chester County Bank, Henderson, Tennessee, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit checks bearing the bank's name are in circulation. The counterfeit items are associated with a lottery scam and are accompanied by a sweepstakes notification letter that is purportedly from "Prudential Locators Inc." There are different versions of the letter, including one that informs the recipient of unclaimed prize money, and another that references expediting the payment of the recipient's processing fee related to the recipient's winnings.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 084301479, which is assigned to Chester County Bank, and contain the following statement embedded in the top border: "THE FACE OF THIS DOCUMENT IS PRINTED RED • THE BACK CONTAINS A SIMULATED WATERMARK." The counterfeit items also display the bank's logo in the top-left corner followed by the words "CASHIER'S CHECK." Along the top center, "CHESTER COUNTY BANK, Henderson, TN, 1-866-273-7198" is printed on three lines. The printed telephone number is not associated with the bank.

Authentic checks display the bank's logo in the top-center portion of the check. Authentic checks do not have security wording embedded in the top border, and they have printed lines for the "REMITTER," "DATE" and "PAY TO THE ORDER OF" amount and signature fields. In addition, the words "CASHIER'S CHECK" are displayed in the lower-left portion of the check.

Copies of a counterfeit item and an authentic check (VOID) are attached for your review.

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

Connie Austin, Assistant Vice President,
Judy Daniels, Chief Executive Officer, or
Neal Smith, President
Chester County Bank
224 W. Main Street
Henderson, Tennessee 38340
Telephone: (731) 989-4684
Fax: (731) 989-2442
E-mail: nealsmith@bellsouth.net

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