Security Alerts

Please read the latest warnings on fraudulent and suspicious activities below. For immediate alerts and text messages, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bankofannarbor.

For your protection, please do not send any personal or confidential information (i.e. Social Security Number, Account Number, Date of Birth, etc.) in any email messages through any of the links below. If you send email to us, we may retain the contents of your email message, your email address, and our response.

January 31, 2022: Asset Based Lending Group Announced

January 28, 2022: Livingston County Community Board

January 24, 2022: Nicolet Office Merger Completed

December 1, 2021: FNBH Completed Merger

SBA Warns of COVID-19 Phishing Scams. Applicants are advised to help protect their identity and privacy by never providing personal information.

The U.S. Small Business Administration is sending a cyber warning alert to loan applicants seeking federal aid in response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Email phishing campaigns where malicious actors are impersonating the SBA and its Office of Disaster Assistance to collect personally identifiable information (PII) for fraudulent purposes have surfaced.

The SBA is particularly concerned about scam emails targeting applicants of the SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program asking them to verify their accounts using a third-party online platform to collect personally identifiable information.

It should be noted that any email communication from the SBA will come from email accounts ending in sba.gov, and nothing more. Loan applicants are being advised to look out for email scams and phishing attacks using the SBA logo. These may be attempts to obtain PII, access personal banking accounts, or install ransomware or malware.

Applicants are also advised to help protect their identity and privacy by never providing their full name, date of birth, social security number, address, phone numbers, email addresses, case numbers, or any other PII in public-facing comments or responses to third-party emails.

The SBA will not use a third-party platform to:

  • Actively seek PII
  • Search a third-party platform for or by PII, or
  • "Follow" public users proactively without a waiver

Borrowers who are in the process of applying for an SBA loan and receive email correspondence asking for PII are cautioned to ensure that any application numbers referenced in the email are consistent with their actual application number. Loan applicants and borrowers are also advised not to click on any links or open any attachments, which are often used in phishing email scams.

Additionally, federal agencies that provide disaster recovery assistance will never ask for a fee or payment to apply for financial assistance, and government employees do not charge for any recovery assistance provided.

An SBA logo on a web page does not guarantee the information is either accurate or endorsed by the SBA. Loan applicants and borrowers should be vigilant in protecting their personal information and data assets. Visit https://www.sba.gov/COVIDfraudalert to learn more about scams and fraud schemes.

If you suspect an email is associated with a fraud scam targeting the SBA, report it to the Office of Inspector General's Hotline at 800-767-0385 or online at https://www.sba.gov/COVIDfraudalert.

Loan applicants who have questions about SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loan program may call the Disaster Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (TTY: 1-800-877-8339) or send an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Fraud alerts & credit freezes: What's the difference?

What's the difference? Looking for ways to protect your identity? Two options to consider are fraud alerts and credit freezes.

Learn more from the FTC

Free cruise? Try illegal robocall with an upsell.

The recorded message made it sound easy - take a phone survey and get two free tickets to go on a cruise. But, you guessed it, it wasn't that simple. The call was an illegal robocall. And those free tickets came with a catch.

Learn more from the FTC

Support for Windows 7 is nearing the end - January 14th

After 10 years, support for Windows 7 is coming to an end on January 14, 2020. If you currently operate on a Windows 7 unit, your computer will still function, but Microsoft will no longer provide important tasks such as technical support, software update or security fixes.

For more information on how to keep your computer safe, check out the Microsoft website.

Getting bombarded by scam calls? You're not alone.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) scam is the number one scam reported to the FTC right now.

As soon as a caller threatens you, or demands you pay them with a gift card or by wiring money. It's a scam. Even if the caller ID tells you otherwise.

Learn more from the FTC

Tips for holiday gift card shopping

Gift cards are one quick way to get through your last-minute holiday shopping list. But before you give (and get) gift cards, here are a few things you need to know.

Learn more from the FTC

Avoid Holiday Shopping Scams

When shopping online during the holiday season-or any time of year-always be wary of deals that seem too good to be true, and do your part to avoid becoming a scammer's next victim.

Learn more from the FBI

What you can do to fend off hackers

Your personal information is valuable. That's why hackers try to steal it. This year, for National Cyber Security Awareness Month, we've got tips to help you keep your personal information from ending up in the hands of a hacker.

Learn more from the FTC

Stay alert for Counterfeit Cashier's Checks

Have you recently participated in the following events?

  • Been a mystery shopper, purchasing gift cards
  • Wrapped your vehicle in advertising
  • Purchased a big-ticket item online (motorcycle, 4-wheeler, etc.)

If so, you may be the target of a counterfeit cashier's check! Please stay alert to these threats. Contact your local police agency as soon as possible for further investigation and assistance.

Self-defense against scams

To everyone who hangs up on unwanted calls, learns about the latest scams, and checks with friends about suspicious offers: good news! People who did all those things were less likely to lose money to a scam than people who didn't...

Learn more from the FTC

Safe Online Surfing Challenge Opens

The FBI's Safe Online Surfing (SOS) Internet Challenge, which had record participation in 2018-2019, is reopening for the start of the new school year to help students navigate the web securely.

Learn more at the FBI