Each depositor insured to at least $250,000 per insured bank

Country Bank for Savings, Ware, Massachusetts, has reported to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) that counterfeit checks are in circulation. The counterfeit instruments display the bank's routing number of 211870980. The counterfeit items have the following distinctive qualities:

• The items are printed on check paper with no security features.
• The checks use a variation on Country Bank's address. Examples include Ware, Arizona, and Ware, Alabama, instead of Ware, Massachusetts.
• A number of checks indicate the account is drawn on a Postal Credit Union. There are three Postal Credit Unions in the United States located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Meridian, Mississippi; and Beloit, Wisconsin. However, the Postal Credit Union addresses included on the counterfeit items are fictitious.

Sample copies of the counterfeit checks are attached for your review.

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

Ms. April E. Gay
Security Director
Country Bank for Savings
75 Main Street
Ware, Massachusetts 01082
Telephone: (413) 967-6221
Fax: (413) 967-3289

Information concerning this financial institution or these counterfeit instruments may be forwarded to the FDIC's Special Activities Section, 550 17th Street, N.W., Room F-4040, Washington, D.C. 20429. Information also may be 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.html.

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.

Attachment (not available electronically)

Distribution: FDIC-Supervised Banks (Commercial and Savings)

NOTE: Paper copies of FDIC Special Alerts may be obtained through the FDIC's Public Information Center, 801 17th Street, NW, Room 100, Washington, DC 20434 (1-877-275-3342 or (703) 562-2200).