The Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Baltimore, Maryland, office has asked the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to alert all FDIC-supervised banks about the circulation of counterfeit checks drawn on the National Cancer Institute's account at the National Institutes of Health Federal Credit Union in Bethesda, Maryland. In December 2000 and January 2001, at least seven counterfeit checks were fraudulently negotiated. A copy of an FBI alert is attached for your information.

The counterfeit checks were deposited into accounts in the names of various payees located throughout the United States. Deposits of the counterfeit checks were typically made through an automated teller machine into an account, followed by withdrawals within a few days of the deposit.

If you have any information about these checks, please contact FBI Special Agent Marisa Perez at 301-586-4490.

For your reference, all FDIC Financial Institution Letters published since January of 1995 may be found on the FDIC's Web site at www.fdic.gov under "Newsroom, Events & FOIA." To learn how to automatically receive FDIC Financial Institution Letters through e-mail, please visit http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/announcements/index.html .

Attachment: FBI Alert

Distribution: FDIC-Supervised Banks (Commercial and Savings)

NOTE: Paper copies of FDIC financial institution letters may be obtained through the FDIC's Public Information Center, 801 17th Street, NW, Room 100, Washington, DC 20434 (800-276-6003 or (703) 562-2200).