Meridian Bank, Paoli, Pennsylvania, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit official checks bearing the institution's name are being circulated with a mystery shopping scam letter.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 031918828, which is assigned to Meridian Bank. The items also display "OFFICIAL CHECK" in a large font near the top. The bank's logo, name and location are shown in the top-left corner.

Authentic checks, which are referred to as "Cashier's Checks," display the bank's logo, name, location and local telephone number in the top center portion of the check.

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:

Timothy J. Mahan
Security Officer
Meridian Bank
92 Lancaster Avenue, Suite 200
Devon, Pennsylvania 19333
Telephone: (484) 568-5018
Fax: (484) 582-0650
E-mail: tmahan@meridianbanker.com

First Priority Bank, Malvern, Pennsylvania, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit official checks bearing the institution's name are being circulated with several scam letters, including letters regarding employment, a consumer research entity and a rewards program.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 031918899, which is assigned to First Priority Bank, but are dissimilar to authentic cashier's checks. There are at least three different versions of the counterfeit items, including some with borders embedded with security wording. One version does not have borders and lacks security wording. However, all three versions display the wording "OFFICIAL CHECK" near the top and center of the item. The bank's logo, name and mailing address are shown in the top-left portion of the counterfeit items.

Authentic cashier's checks show the bank name in the top center and "CASHIER'S CHECK" in the lower-left portion of the check.

Copies of counterfeit items 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:

Larry Donato
Bank Secrecy Act Officer
First Priority Bank
2 W. Liberty Boulevard, Suite 104
Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355
Telephone: (610) 280-7100
Fax: (484) 527-4037
E-mail: ldonato@fpbk.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. Questions 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/2008/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).