Dear Valued Customers and Community Members,

We are issuing this important fraud alert regarding ongoing scams targeting businesses that received Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fraudsters are actively exploiting publicly available PPP loan data released by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). This data, which includes business names, addresses, loan amounts, funding dates, employee counts, and the names of originating financial institutions (including ours), is accessible to the public and has been used by criminals to make their impersonation attempts highly convincing.

How the Scam Typically Works:

• Scammers contact PPP loan recipients by phone (often using spoofed numbers that appear to come from our bank), email, or text message.
• They pose as representatives from our bank, our fraud/security department, the SBA, Treasury Department, or even local law enforcement.
• Common claims include:
  • Needing to “verify” account or loan details to prevent suspicious activity, process forgiveness issues, or stop unauthorized transactions.
  • Requiring immediate action to resolve a “fraudulent” PPP loan or related warrant.
  • Asking for sensitive information such as online banking usernames, passwords, one-time security codes (e.g., for multi-factor authentication), or other credentials.
• In some variations, they demand payment of a “cash bond” or fee to avoid legal issues.
• Their goal is to gain access to your online banking or accounts to initiate unauthorized transfers, ACH debits, or other fraudulent activity.

Important Reminders from Us:

• We will never contact you unsolicited to ask for your login credentials, passwords, security codes, PINs, or other sensitive information over the phone, email, or text.
• We will never threaten immediate account closure, legal action, or demand payment to resolve issues.
• Legitimate communications from our bank will only request information through secure, verified channels (e.g., our official online banking portal or in-person at a branch).

What to Do If You Receive a Suspicious Contact:

1. Do not provide any personal, financial, or login information.
2. Hang up immediately if it’s a phone call, or do not reply/click links if it’s an email or text.
3. Contact us directly using a verified phone number from your account statement, our official website, or mobile app (do not use any number provided by the caller).
4. Report the incident to us right away so we can monitor your accounts and take protective steps.
5. File a report with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, the SBA Office of Inspector General, or your local law enforcement if appropriate.

Protect Yourself Going Forward:

• Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on all accounts and monitor statements regularly for unauthorized activity.
• Be cautious of unsolicited communications referencing your PPP loan or other public data.
• Educate employees or business partners about these risks.

Your security is our top priority. These scams are not new, but reports indicate they remain active and sophisticated due to the continued availability of public SBA data. By staying vigilant, we can help prevent fraud.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to our customer service team or visit your local branch.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and for partnering with us to keep your accounts safe.

Sincerely,

Nicholas W Zillges

President and CEO

Member FDIC | Equal Housing Lender