Counterfeit money orders bearing the name Mutual Federal Savings and Mutual Federal Bank, Chicago, Illinois, are reportedly in circulation

Mutual Federal Bank, Chicago, Illinois has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit money orders bearing the institution's name are in circulation.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 271071062, which is assigned to Mutual Federal Bank. The items also display a security feature statement embedded in a darkened top border with rounded corners. The words "Mutual Federal Savings International Money Order, Chicago, IL" appear in the top center. The words "Memo: Void after 90 days" appear in the lower-left corner.

Authentic money orders display security feature statements along the top and bottom borders. The bank's name, logo and street address appear in the top-left corner. The restrictive feature statement "VOID AFTER 1 YEAR" appears above the date field, and the statement "NOT VALID OVER $1,000.00" appears below the written dollar amount line. The words "Purchaser Signature" appear below the signature line in the lower-right 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:

Mirella Magaña
Operations Officer
Mutual Federal Bank
2212 West Cermak Road
Chicago, Illinois 60608
Telephone: (773) 847-7747, extension 116
Fax: (773) 847-2125
E-mail: mirella.magana@mutualfederalbank.com

Alternate contact:

Julia Levine
Vice President
Mutual Federal Bank
2212 West Cermak Road
Chicago, Illinois 60608
Telephone: (773) 847-7747, extension 123
Fax: (773) 847-2125
Email: julia.levine@mutualfederalbank.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-3054, 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/2010/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