Counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the name Venture Bank, Bloomington, Minnesota, are reportedly in circulation

Venture Bank, Bloomington, Minnesota, 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 091017196, which is assigned to Venture Bank, but are dissimilar to authentic cashier's checks. The counterfeit items display a security feature statement within the top border. The wording "CASHIERS CHECK" appears in the top center. The bank's name and address are printed in the upper-left corner. A "REMITTER" line is printed below the bank's name and address. The words "CHECK DATE" and "CHECK AMOUNT" are each printed inside rectangles with round corners on the right side. The statement "CHECKS OVER $25,000 MUST HAVE 2 SIGNATURES" appears below the "CHECK AMOUNT" rectangle. The statement "PAY TO THE ORDER OF" is displayed in the lower-left corner.

Authentic checks have ornate borders. The bank's name and address appear in the top center. The words "Cashier's Check" are displayed in the lower-left corner. A padlock icon and a security feature statement appear below the word "DOLLARS" on the right side of the written dollar amount 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:

Kara L. Lombard
Vice President and Deposit Operations Officer
Venture Bank
5601 Green Valley Drive, Suite 120
Bloomington, Minnesota 55437
Telephone: (952) 837-0672
Fax: (952) 830-8218
E-mail: klombard@venturebankonline.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