Fraudulent checks bearing the name Horizon Bank, Arlington, Texas, are reportedly in circulation

Financial institutions have contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that fraudulent checks bearing the name Horizon Bank, Arlington, Texas, and routing numbers assigned to various other financial institutions are in circulation. There are no active federal- or state-chartered financial institutions with the name Horizon Bank operating in Texas.

Fraudulent items display a logo, which consists of a darkened triangle overlaid with half of a sunburst shape. "Horizon Bank, Arlington, Texas," appears to the right of the logo. The dollar amount is displayed in the center of the item in large, block numbers. A notice to customers is printed in the top-left corner, with the "TO THE ORDER OF" displayed in the bottom-left corner. The phrase "OFFICIAL CHECK" is shown vertically along the left edge.

A copy of a fraudulent item is attached for your review. Be aware that the appearance of fraudulent items can be modified and that additional variations may be presented.

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. Thompson
DirectorDivision of Supervision and Consumer Protection