As we’ve warned elsewhere in this issue and in previous editions of our newsletter, unscrupulous people and groups establish Internet sites that claim to be insured banks when, in fact, they don’t have a legitimate banking charter and are not FDIC-insured. Consumers who send money to a bogus bank run the risk of losing their funds. To help get these sites off the ‘Net , the FDIC is developing a new service on our Internet home page (www.fdic.gov) that will enable consumers to check the validity of a bank Web site (before they do business) and to report suspicious new sites via an e-mail to the FDIC. The system is expected to be up and running soon, so watch for more details in an upcoming FDIC Consumer News and on the FDIC home page.