Counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the name First Century Bank, Bluefield, West Virginia, are reportedly in circulation

First Century Bank, National Association, Bluefield, West Virginia, 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 051500601, which is assigned to First Century Bank, National Association, but are markedly dissimilar to authentic cashier's checks. The counterfeit items display the following security feature description within the top border: "THIS DOCUMENT HAS A GRADUATED BACKGROUND, DARK TO LIGHT. THE REVERSE SIDE INCLUDES AN ARTIFICIAL WATERMARK." The words "CASHIER'S CHECK" appear inside a rectangle in the top center. An unassociated logo containing a boxed "1" and "st Century Bank" appear on the left side. "First Century Bank, 500 FEDERAL & 525 FEDERAL STS, BLUEFILED, WV 24701"appears in the top-left corner. The date is inside of a box in the top-right corner. "DRAWER:" appears in the lower-left corner.

Authentic checks display "CASHIER'S CHECK" in the lower-left corner. The bank's logo (which consists of "CB" and a clustered center of "1's"), "FIRST CENTURY BANK, NA," city, state and zip code appear in the top center. The following security statement appears below the printed dollar amount: "THIS DOCUMENT HAS A MICRO-PRINT SIGNATURE LINE, WATERMARK AND A THERMOCHROMIC ICON, ABSENCE OF THESE FEATURES WILL INDICATE A COPY." The words "PURCHASED BY" appear in the upper-left corner. A padlock icon is displayed 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:

Cathy Laxton
Assistant Vice President and Security Director
First Century Bank, NA
500 Federal Street
Bluefield, West Virginia 24701
Telephone: (304) 324-3281
Fax: (304) 324-3309
E-mail: Claxton@firstcentury.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