Counterfeit official checks bearing the name Bank of Prairie du Sac, Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, are reportedly in circulation

Bank of Prairie du Sac, Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit official checks bearing the institution's name are in circulation. The counterfeit items are associated with a lottery scam and are accompanied by correspondence from "Guta Financial Trust Services" with an address in Nassau, Bahamas.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 092005411, which is assigned to an account at First Interstate Bank, Helena, Montana. Bank of Prairie du Sac issues official checks through an account at First Interstate Bank.

The counterfeit items are similar to authentic official checks. However, the counterfeit items display a lock symbol to the right of the dollar amount line in the lower-right corner to the right of the authorized signature line.

Authentic checks have ornate borders on all sides and the words "OFFICIAL CHECK" appear inside of a box that is incorporated into the top border. Directly below that box is a security statement.

Copies of a counterfeit item and an authentic check (VOID) are attached for your review. Be aware that the appearance of counterfeit items can be modified and that additional variations may be presented.

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

J. Patricia Yanke
Executive Vice President
Bank of Prairie du Sac
555 Park Avenue
Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin 53578
Telephone: (608) 643-3393
Fax: (608) 643-2282
E-mail: py@bankpds.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. Thompson
Director
Division of Supervision and Consumer Protection