Galena State Bank & Trust Co., Galena, Illinois, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the institution's routing number are in circulation.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 071108698, which is assigned to Galena State Bank & Trust Co. However, authentic cashier's checks display the routing number 051900353, which is assigned to BB&T, Charleston, West Virginia. Galena State Bank & Trust Co. issues cashier's checks through BB&T.

The counterfeit items display the words "CASHIER'S CHECK" in the top-center portion and the logo of another bank, First Community Bank of Galena, in the upper-left corner. An address of "971 Gear Street," which is a branch location of Galena State Bank & Trust Co., is displayed in the lower-left corner along with the telephone number "(815) 777-8800," which is not associated with the bank.

Authentic cashier's checks display the bank's logo in the upper-left corner, with "Galena State Bank and Trust Co." to the right of the logo. The bank's post office address and telephone number are displayed below the logo and bank name. The words "CASHIER'S CHECK" are shown in the upper-right corner. In the lower-left corner on three lines, the following is printed: "PAYABLE THROUGH, BB&T, CHARLESTON, WV."

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:

Libby Miller
Senior Vice President
Galena State Bank and Trust Co.
971 Gear Street
Galena, Illinois 61036
Telephone: (815) 777-0663
Fax: (815) 777-8944
E-mail: lmiller@galenastate.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. Information 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/2006/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)