Counterfeit official checks bearing the name Peoples Bank of the South, LaFollette, Tennessee, are reportedly in circulation

Peoples Bank of the South, LaFollette, Tennessee,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 number064206031,which is assigned to Peoples Bank of the South. The items are similar to authentic official checks; however, they have rounded corners and a security feature statement embedded within a darkened top border. Authentic official checks have ornate borders.

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:

Brenda P. Mundy
Assistant Vice President of Operations
Peoples Bank of the South
106 West Central Avenue
LaFollette, Tennessee 37766
Telephone: (423) 562-4921
Fax: (423) 566-2383
E-mail:brendam@peoplesbanksouth.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 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 Web site atwww.fdic.gov/news/news/SpecialAlert/2010/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