Counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the name Frontier Bank, Everett, Washington, are reportedly in circulation

Frontier Bank, Everett, Washington, 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 fraudulent award scams.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 125107626, which is assigned to Frontier Bank, but are dissimilar to authentic cashier's checks. The counterfeit items have the following security statement embedded within the top border: "THIS CHECK CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING SECURITY FEATURES: MULTI-COLOR PRINTING ON FACE, WATERMARK IN PAPER AND MICROPRINTING ON BORDER." The words "CASHIER'S CHECK" are displayed in the top center. A telephone number, which is not associated with the bank, appears below the bank's name and address in the upper-left corner.

Authentic checks have the following security statement embedded within the top border: "ORIGINAL DOCUMENT HAS A MICRO PRINTED SIGNATURE LINE AND A GOLD BACKGROUND ON FRONT, ARTIFICIAL WATERMARK ON BACK." A watermark consisting of the bank's "F" logo is centered in the middle of the check. The bank's logo also appears to the left of the bank's name and address in the upper-left corner. The abbreviations "IC," "CC," "INTLS" and "CHG" and the "AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE" line are incorporated in the bottom border.

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:

Security Department
Frontier Bank
332 S.W. Everett Mall Way
Everett, Washington 98213
Telephone: (360) 598-8065
E-mail: ebanking@frontierbank.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 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