Counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the name First Federal Bank of North Florida, Palatka, Florida, are reportedly in circulation

First Federal Bank of North Florida, Palatka, Florida, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the institution's name are in circulation.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 263170175, which is assigned to First Federal Bank of North Florida. The items are dissimilar to authentic cashier's checks. The counterfeit items are maroon and display a security feature statement centered within the top border and along the bottom border between two padlock icons. The bank's name appears in the top-left corner.

Authentic cashier's checks display the bank's official logo on a multi-colored background. The checks also display a padlock icon and vertical security statement along the right border.

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:

Pam Winkleman
Vice-President
First Federal Bank of North Florida
511 St. Johns Avenue
Palatka, FL 32177
Telephone: (386) 312-4899
Fax: (386) 325-3899
E-mail: pam.winkleman@ffbnf.com

Alternate Contact:

Michael Riddick
Senior Vice-President
First Federal Bank of North Florida
511 St. Johns Avenue
Palatka, Florida 32177
Telephone: (386) 326-5316
Fax: (386) 325-7307
E-mail: mike.riddick@ffbnf.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