Counterfeit official checks bearing the name Cathay Bank, Los Angeles, California, are reportedly in circulation

Cathay Bank, Los Angeles, California, 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 122037171, which is assigned to an Integrated Payment Systems account held at Wells Fargo Bank, Ltd., Los Angeles, California. Cathay Bank issues official checks through Integrated Payment Systems, Inc.

Authentic official checks display an ornate border on the top and sides. The words "OFFICIAL CHECK" appear inside of a rectangle embedded in the top border. A padlock icon is show above the date line.

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:

Shirley Wang
Vice President of Operations Administration
Cathay Bank
4128 Temple City Boulevard
Rosemead, California 91770
Telephone: (626) 582-7269
Fax: (626) 454-4860
E-mail: shirley_wang@cathaybank.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/2009/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