Ameriserv Financial Bank, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, has also reported to the FDIC that counterfeit cashier’s checks are in circulation. The counterfeit instruments are drawn upon the bank and display the proper routing number of 031301066. The counterfeit instruments are similar to the authentic official checks; however, beneath the signature line on the bottom right-hand side of the counterfeit check, “authorized signature” is misspelled as “authorised signature.” Additionally, the authentic checks display “CASHIER’S CHECK” in outline form on the bottom left-hand side of the check, while the counterfeit instruments display these words in bold. A copy of a counterfeit check and a copy of an authentic official check (void) are attached for your review.

Any information you have concerning this matter should be brought to the attention of:

Information concerning these financial institutions or instruments may be forwarded to the FDIC’s Special Activities Section, 550 17th Street, N.W., Room F-4040, 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 Web site at www.fdic.gov/news/news/SpecialAlert/2004/index.html. To learn how to automatically receive FDIC Special Alerts, Financial Institution Letters and other announcements through e-mail, please visit www.fdic.gov/news/news/announcements/index.html.