Counterfeit official checks bearing the name Bank of Hanover, Hanover, Pennsylvania, are reportedly in circulation

Bank of Hanover, a division of BLC Bank, N.A., Strasburg, Pennsylvania, 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 011007092, which is assigned to Boston Safe Deposit & Trust Company, Boston, Massachusetts. Bank of Hanover issues official checks through Moneygram Payment Systems, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota, payable through Boston Safe Deposit & Trust Company.

The counterfeit items appear similar to authentic official checks; however, the counterfeit items display the following security feature statements within the top border: "THIS CHECK IS VOID WITHOUT A COLORED BORDER AND BACKGROUND PLUS A KNIGHT & FINGERPRINT WATERMARK ON THE BACK - HOLD AT ANGLE TO VIEW." Below the signature line is the wording "SIGNATURE AREA CONTAINS A KNIGHT & FINGERPRINT CHECK WORDING" and "U.S. PATENTS" numbers.

Authentic checks display the following security statements within the top darkened border: "THIS DOCUMENT HAS AN ARTIFICIAL WATERMARK ON THE BACK. THE FRONT OF DOCUMENT HAS A MICRO-PRINT SIGNATURE LINE. ABSENCE OF THESE FEATURES WILL INDICATE A COPY." In the top-right corner is a "NOTICE TO CUSTOMER" regarding an indemnity bond.

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:

Bank of Hanover
Security Department
1097 Commercial Avenue
East Petersburg, Pennsylvania 17520
Telephone: (717) 735-4929
Fax: (717) 735-4895
E-mail: reportfraud@sterlingfi.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