First Bank of Northern Kentucky, Inc., Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, 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 number 042102254, which is assigned to First Bank of Northern Kentucky, Inc. They also display the words "OFFICIAL CHECK" in the top center below the words "VOID AFTER 12 MONTHS." The bank's name and address appear in the top-left corner; however, the bank's name is misspelled. A description of security features is embedded in the top border.

Authentic checks display the bank's logo, name and address in the upper left corner. The words "OFFICIAL CHECK" are displayed in the top center above the statement "VOID AFTER 12 MONTHS" in parenthesis.

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:

Mr. Stacey Dickerson
Security Officer
First Bank of Northern Kentucky, Inc.
350 Buttermilk Pike
Fort Mitchell, Kentucky 41017
Telephone: (859) 426-2234
Fax: (859) 578-7486
E-mail: sdickerson@fbnoky.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)