Counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the name Mercantile Trust & Savings Bank, Quincy, Illinois, are reportedly in circulation

Mercantile Trust & Savings Bank, Quincy, Illinois, 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 081200531, which is assigned to Mercantile Trust & Savings Bank. The items are similar to authentic cashier's checks; however, they have ornate borders.

Authentic cashier's checks are light blue with a diamond background. A security padlock appears within the right border. The checks have pre-printed lines denoting the "REMITTER," "DATE," "PAY TO THE ORDER OF" and written dollar-amount fields.

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:

Tanya Wietholder or Cheryl Terwelp
Accounting Clerks
Mercantile Trust & Savings Bank
440 Maine Street
P.O. Box 371
Quincy, Illinois 62306-0371
Telephone: (217) 223-7300
Fax: (217) 223-5032
E-mail: accounting@mercbanx.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