Counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the name Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California are reportedly in circulation

Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California, Lodi, California, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the institution's name are in circulation. The counterfeit items are reportedly associated with lottery and sweepstakes scams.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 121108441, which is assigned to Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California. The items are similar to authentic checks, but have rounded corners and display a security statement embedded within the top border. The counterfeit items also display the words "Cashier's Check," with an apostrophe, in the upper-right corner; authentic checks display the same words in the same location without an apostrophe.

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:

Bill Bruneel
Vice President of Banking Operations
Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California
121 W. Pine Street
Lodi, California 95240-2184
Telephone: (209) 367-2431
Fax: (209) 369-1957
E-mail: BillBruneel@fmbonline.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