Counterfeit official checks bearing the name First Guaranty Bank, Jacksonville, Florida, are reportedly in circulation

First Guaranty Bank and Trust Company of Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida, 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 First Guaranty Bank using a payable-through account at The Bank of New York Mellon, Everett, Massachusetts. The items are identical to authentic cashier's checks; however, the counterfeit items display darkened top and bottom borders, and a security feature statement is displayed within the top border.

Authentic official checks have a blue micro-dot background. The top and bottom borders display a bold dark blue line. The bank's logo, which is a hologram, is displayed in the top-left 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:

Karan LeMoine
Vice President and Senior Compliance Officer
First Guaranty Bank
1234 King Street
Jacksonville, Florida 32204
Telephone: (904) 301-2108
Fax: (904) 301-2038
E-mail: klemoine@fgbjax.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