Counterfeit official checks bearing the name Baltimore County Savings Bank, Perry Hall, Maryland, are reportedly in circulation

Baltimore County Savings Bank, FSB, Baltimore, Maryland, 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 022000868, which is assigned to Citibank, N.A, Buffalo, New York. Baltimore County Savings Bank, FSB issues official checks through an Integrated Payment Systems, Inc., account at Citibank, N.A. The items are markedly dissimilar to authentic official checks. The counterfeit items display the statement "THIS CHEQUE IS VOID WITHOUT A COLORED BORDER AND BACKGROUND PLUS A KNIGHT & FINGERPRINT WATERMARK ON THE BACK – HOLD AT ANGLE TO VIEW" embedded in the top border. The word "Colorado" is misspelled as "Coorado" in a statement in the lower-left corner. The phrase "SIGNATURE AREA CONTAINS A KNIGHT & FINGERPRINT CHEQUE WORDING" appears beneath the signature requirement statement in the lower-right corner.

Authentic checks display an ornate scroll border on the top and sides. A rectangle containing the words "OFFICIAL CHECK" is in the top center. The statement "HOLD DOCUMENT UP TO THE LIGHT TO VIEW TRUE WATERMARK" is printed on each side of the rectangle. A padlock and security statement appear on the lower-right side.

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:

Louis J. Ullrich, Jr.
Assistant Vice President and Bank Security Officer
Baltimore County Savings Bank, FSB
4208 Ebenezer Road
Baltimore, Maryland 21236
Telephone: (410) 513-0350
Fax: (410) 256-1865
E-mail: lullrich@bcsb.net

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