Cathay Bank, Los Angeles, California, 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 proper routing number of 122037171 for the processing of Cathay Bank official checks, which are issued by Integrated Payment Systems, Inc., Englewood, Colorado. The counterfeit items appear similar to authentic bank checks; however, the counterfeit items do not include the bank logo on the left of the bank name and address, and the counterfeit items do not include the scroll border along the top and sides of the check. A copy of a counterfeit item 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:

Joyce Vogler
Vice President, Control Services, Operations Administration
Cathay Bank
4128 Temple City Boulevard
Rosemead, California 91770
Telephone: (626) 582-7372
Fax: (626) 484-4860
joyce_vogler@cathaybank.com

Information about these instruments 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 Web site at www.fdic.gov/news/news/SpecialAlert/2005/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 online copies of fraudulent instruments or copies of the genuine instruments that have been counterfeited. This is to avoid attempts by others to use the electronic versions of these instruments to facilitate additional fraud. Printed copies of fraudulent instruments are mailed with the Special Alert letter to the financial institutions on the letter's distribution list (generally, FDIC-supervised banks – commercial and savings). Printed copies of the Special Alert and its attachment(s) may also be obtained from the FDIC's Public Information Center, 801 17th Street, NW, Room 100, Washington, DC 20434 (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)