Counterfeit official checks bearing the name Bank of Tennessee, Johnson City, Tennessee, are reportedly in circulation

Bank of Tennessee, Kingsport, Tennessee, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit official checks bearing the institution's name are in circulation.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 044015543, which is assigned to Huntington National Bank, Columbus, Ohio. Bank of Tennessee issues official checks through Moneygram Payment Systems Inc., which uses a payable through account at Huntington National Bank. The counterfeit items are very similar to authentic official checks, except that they display the following security feature statement within the top border: "FOR SECURITY PURPOSES, THE FACE OF THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS A COLOR BACKGROUND AND MICROPRINTING IN THE BORDER." The counterfeit items also display the statements "SECURITY FEATURES INCLUDED. DETAILS ON BACK," which are centered along the bottom border with a padlock icon printed on each side.

Authentic official checks are green and display the following security statements below the top border: "THIS DOCUMENT HAS AN ARTIFICIAL WATERMARK PRINTED ON THE BACK. ABSENCE OF THIS FEATURE WILL INDICATE A COPY." The bank's telephone number – "(423) 378-9500" – is printed below the bank's name and address in the top-left corner.

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:

Cindy Larkin
Assistant Security Officer
Bank of Tennessee
P.O. Box 4980
Johnson City, Tennessee 37602
Telephone: (423) 279-3420
Fax: (423) 279-3424
E-mail: clarkin@bankoftennessee.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