Counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the name Sun West Bank, Las Vegas, Nevada, are reportedly in circulation

Bank of Lancaster, Kilmarnock, Virginia, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that fraudulent cashier's checks bearing the institution's routing number and the name "Sun West Bank," Las Vegas, Nevada, are in circulation.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 051403850, which is assigned to Bank of Lancaster. The items are markedly dissimilar to authentic cashier's checks and display "SUN WEST BANK, 9350 Sun City Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada 89134" in the top-left corner. The following security feature statement is embedded in the top border: "THE FACE OF THIS DOCUMENT HAS A COLORED BACKGROUND ON WHITE PAPER." The following security feature statement is embedded in the bottom border: "THE BACK OF THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS AN ARTIFICIAL WATERMARK – HOLD AT AN ANGLE TO VIEW." The words "CASHIER'S CHECK" appear inside a darkened oval in the top center. The written dollar amount is contained in a darkened elongated box in the middle area. A rectangle contains the numerical dollar amount on the right side and a security padlock is embedded in the right border.

Authentic checks issued by Bank of Lancaster display an "L" inside a blue box repeated in columns on a white background and dark blue borders. The bank's name and address ("Bank of Lancaster, 100 South Main Street, Kilmarnock, Virginia 22482") are displayed in the top-left corner. The following security statement is centered in the top border: "WARNING: Original document has genuine watermark in the paper that can be viewed through the document." The following security statement is centered in the bottom border: "WARNING: Original document develops stains from solvent or bleach alterations."

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:

R. Dixon Foster
Security Officer
Bank of Lancaster
100 South Main Street
Kilmarnock, Virginia 22482
Telephone: (804) 435-4126
Fax: (804) 435-7336
E-mail: dfoster@banklanc.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. Thompson
Director
Division of Supervision and Consumer Protection