Counterfeit official checks bearing the name Kaplan State Bank, Kaplan, Louisiana, are reportedly in circulation

Kaplan State Bank, Kaplan, Louisiana, 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 number065204197, which is assigned to Kaplan State Bank. The items also display security feature statements embedded in the top border and along the bottom border between two padlocks. The bank's logo is displayed in the top left corner.

Authentic official checks display the routing number051900353, which is assigned to Branch Banking and Trust (BB&T), Charleston, West Virginia. Kaplan State Bank issues official checks through a BB&T account. Authentic official checks have a security notice in the top-left corner. The words "OFFICIAL CHECK" are shown in a box incorporated into the top border. A security statement is displayed below the box.

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:

Paul F. Meaux
President
Kaplan State Bank
P.O. Box 309
Kaplan, Louisiana 70548
Telephone: (337) 643-7110
Fax: (337) 643-7111
E-mail:pmeaux@kaplanbank.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 toalert@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 athttp://www2.fdic.gov/starsmail/index.asp.

For your reference, FDIC Special Alerts may be accessed from the FDIC's website atwww.fdic.gov/news/news/SpecialAlert/2008/index.html. To learn how to automatically receive FDIC Special Alerts through e-mail, please visitwww.fdic.gov/about/subscriptions/index.html.

Sandra L. ThompsonDirector
Division of Supervision and Consumer Protection