Counterfeit money orders bearing the name Peoples National Bank, Hallstead, Pennsylvania, are reportedly in circulation

Peoples National Bank, Hallstead, Pennsylvania, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit money orders bearing the institution's name are in circulation.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 031311807, which is assigned to Peoples National Bank, but are markedly dissimilar to authentic money orders. The following statement is embedded within the top border of the counterfeit items: "THIS DOCUMENT HAS A COLORED BACKGROUND AND MICROPRINTING. THE REVERSE SIDE INCLUDES AN ARTIFICIAL WATERMARK." The words "Money Order" and "Branch" appear near the top-left corner. The bank's name and a mailing address are printed in the lower-left corner.

Authentic money orders contain the following statement embedded within the top border: "FOR SECURITY PURPOSES THE FACE OF THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS A TWO-TONED COLORED BACKGROUND AND MICROPRINTING IN THE BORDER-THE REVERSE SIDE FEATURES ARTIFICAL WATERMARKS." The bank's logo and mailing address are printed in the top-left corner. The words "Money Order," "Date," and "Branch" are listed vertically in the top-right portion. Above the lower-right corner are two lines, with "SIGNATURE OF REMITTER" appearing below the top line and "ADDRESS" appearing to the left of the bottom line.

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:

Dawn Price
Bank Secrecy Act Officer
Peoples National Bank
P.O. Box A
50 Main Street
Hallstead, Pennsylvania 18822
Telephone: (570) 879-2175
Fax: (570) 879-5113
E-mail: dawnp@peoplesnatbank.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. Questions 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 http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/SpecialAlert/2007/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