State Street Bank and Trust Company, Quincy, Illinois, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit checks bearing the name "State Street Bank & Company" are in circulation.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 011302836, which is not valid. The counterfeit items are markedly dissimilar to authentic cashier's checks and do not bear the wording "Cashier's Check." They display the following security feature statement embedded in a darkened top border: "THIS DOCUMENT HAS A COLORED BACKGROUND AND MICROPRINTING. THE REVERSE SIDE INCLUDES AN ARTIFICAL WATERMARK." "State Street Bank & Co., Quincy, IL 62301" is printed in the top-center area. An unassociated logo and "State Street" appear in the top-left corner.

Authentic checks display the routing number 081200528, which is assigned to State Street Bank and Trust Company. They are yellow with a darkened foil band across the top. The bank's logo (initial "S") and "State Street Bank AND TRUST COMPANY, QUINCY, ILLINOIS 62301" are in the top-center area. The words "CASHIER'S CHECK" and a "NOTICE TO CUSTOMER" regarding an indemnity bond appear in the lower-left corner. The security feature statement "The document has a colored background, Foil Accent and a backside authentic watermark; absence of these features will indicate a copy" is in italics below the written dollar amount line. A padlock icon and vertical security statement appear along the right side. The statement "TWO SIGNATURES REQUIRED FOR ANY AMOUNT MORE THAN ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS" is printed above two signature lines 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:

Barb Trenter
Assistant Cashier
State Street Bank and Trust Company
801 State Street
P.O. Box 141
Quincy, Illinois 62306
Telephone: (217) 223-6480
Fax: (217) 223-8770
Email: btrenter@statestreetbank.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/2008/index.html. To learn how to automatically receive FDIC Special Alerts through e-mail, please visit www.fdic.gov/about/subscriptions/index.html.

Attachment (not available electronically)

NOTE: As a security precaution, the FDIC does not post to its Web site electronic images of fraudulent items or authentic checks that have been counterfeited. This is to avoid attempts by others to use these instruments to facilitate additional fraud. Financial institutions can view images of the fraudulent items and authentic checks (marked as VOID) using the FDIC's free, secure Web site, FDICconnect. (See more information about FDICconnect at http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2006/fil06032.html.) Printed copies of each Special Alert and its attachment(s) may also be obtained from the FDIC's Public Information Center (telephone: 1-877-275-3342 or 703-562-2200; fax: 703-562-2296; or e-mail: publicinfo@fdic.gov).

Distribution: FDIC-Supervised Banks (Commercial and Savings)