Counterfeit official checks bearing the name First Chicago Bank & Trust, Itasca, Illinois, are reportedly in circulation

First Chicago Bank & Trust, Itasca, Illinois, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit official checks bearing the institution's name are in circulation. First Chicago Bank & Trust does not issue official checks; however, it does issue cashier's checks.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 001121507, which is not a valid routing number. The items are markedly dissimilar to the bank's authentic cashier's checks. The counterfeit items are aqua in color and have a swirl-design background with blue borders. The statement “THE AMOUNT OF THIS CHECK WILL BE SUBJECT TO SERVICE CHARGES AS SPECIFIED IN THE BANKS SCHEDULE OF CHARGES IF NOT PRESENTED FOR PAYMENT WITHIN ONE OF THE DATE OF ISSUANCE” is printed below the bank's name and address in the top-left corner. A security feature statement is embedded in a darkened top border. The words “OFFICIAL CHECK” are in the top center. A rectangle containing the phrase “FOR OR PURCHASER” appears in the top-right corner. The statement “VOID AFTER 180 DAYS” is printed below the written dollar amount line. “AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE” and “COUNTER SIGNATURE” are printed below two signature lines, respectively, in the bottom-right corner.

Authentic cashier's checks display the routing number 271070953, which is assigned to First Chicago Bank & Trust. They are light gray in color and have a dash-design border on all sides. A Roman column logo is shown to the left of the bank's name, address and telephone number in the top-left corner. The statement “VOID AFTER 1 YEAR” and the words “CASHIERS CHECK” are shown near the top-right corner. The statement “TWO SIGNATURES REQUIRED FOR AMOUNT OF $100,000 OR GREATER” is printed above two signature lines in the bottom-right 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:

Raymond Wengel
Senior Vice President of Legal and Compliance
First Chicago Bank & Trust
1145 North Arlington Heights Road
Itasca, Illinois 60143
Telephone: (630) 250-9500
Fax: (630) 250-0935
E-mail: raymond.wengel@firstchicago.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/2008/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. ThompsonDirector
Division of Supervision and Consumer Protection