Counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the name North Shore Bank, Danvers, Massachusetts, are reportedly in circulation

North Shore Bank, a Co-operative Bank (also known as North Shore Bank), Peabody, Massachusetts, 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 display the routing number 211371298, which is assigned to North Shore Bank. The items are pink and have a purple sea shell design along the top and side borders. The words "CASHIER'S CHECK" are centered at the top. A logo of a bird in flight appears in the upper- left corner directly above the bank's name, which is printed in blue, and a Danvers, MA, address, which is printed in black. The following security statement is printed twice below the top border: "HOLD DOCUMENT UP TO THE LIGHT TO VIEW TRUE WATERMARK."

Authentic checks display the bank's name in the upper-left corner with the city and state centered below the top border. A padlock symbol appears in the lower-left corner. The following statement is embedded within the bottom border: "HOLD AT AN ANGLE TOWARD LIGHT TO VERIFY SECURITY FEATURES ON BACK."

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:

Linda LeBlanc
Risk Management and Security Officer
North Shore Bank
32 Main Street
Peabody, Massachusetts 01960
Phone: (978) 538 7058
Fax: (978) 538 7070
E-mail: lleblanc@northshore-bank.com

Information about counterfeit items, cyber-fraud incidents and other counterfeit 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