Our Commitment to You | COVID-19

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 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.

Tips to Watch Out for Stimulus Payment Scams

Recently the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) started to advise taxpayers to be wary of emails, phone calls, SMS (text messages), and social media posts around the upcoming stimulus payments, especially those that ask for money or sensitive information be provided in order to receive funds.

  • You will not need to pay anything in advance, or provide personal or bank account information, to receive your stimulus payment from the government.

  • Be suspicious if you receive a stimulus check with an unusual payment amount, or that requires you to call/verify your information before you can cash it.

  • Determine if you are eligible for a stimulus payment and the amount you should be receiving. Visit the IRS website to understand your eligibility.

  • The government will not be contacting you regarding your stimulus payment. They will not be asking for your Social Security number, bank account number, passwords, or credit or debit card number. Also, you should not be asked to verify your tax filing information.

  • Be wary of unsolicited communication, including phone calls, emails, text messages, or social media messages, especially those requesting you to share personal, financial or account information.

  • Verify any requests for information using an alternative method before taking any action. Locate the entity’s phone number from a trusted source, such as their secure website or the back of your credit or debit card, if the caller is saying they are from your bank.

Tips to Help Avoid COVID-19 Related Scams

Cyber criminals are beginning to take advantage of opportunism to steal personal and financial information during this vulnerable time for many. We are seeing an increase of new iterations of common phishing and malware scams, where fraudsters may send emails with malicious attachments or links to fraudulent websites to trick victims into revealing sensitive information or donating to fraudulent charities or causes. Fraudsters may use phone calls and SMS (texts messages) to try to trick you as well.

Along with banks, fraudsters are also spoofing the World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or other similar medical, charitable and government organizations. These messages can be convincing, as cyber criminals often use professional “mirroring” that perfectly match the logo, website and email formats of legitimate organizations. If you do receive unsolicited phone calls, emails or text messages asking you to share personal, financial or account information, it is important to verify the request using an alternative method before taking any action. Locate the entity’s phone number from a trusted source, such as their secure website or the back of your credit or debit card, if the caller is saying they are from your bank.

Tips to avoid email scams:

  • Look closely at the sender’s email address and domain. Check for misspellings and inconsistencies between the “Sender” name and “From” email address or domain name.

  • Beware of demands for personal or financial information, especially those with a sense of urgency.

  • Be extra cautious before clicking any links found in the email. Hovering your mouse over the link without clicking will give you a preview of the URL the link is pointing to. Links and web addresses of a spoofed website can be very similar to a recognized entity, but are off by one or two characters.

  • Do not assume an email is legitimate because it displays a corporate logo.

  • Do not open attachments from sources you do not recognize

  • If you receive a suspicious email claiming to be from University Bank, please let us know by forwarding the email to information@university-bank.com.

Valued Customers

As we monitor and learn more about the spread of Coronavirus in our communities, we want to let you know what University Bank is doing as a company to protect our customers and employees.

We are closely monitoring the daily developments and have raised awareness among employees on the best practices to prevent the spread of respiratory diseases, as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Updated Hours (as of March 19th, 2020)

For the safety of our customers and employees, our University Bank Branch will be open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We will be temporarily closed on Saturdays.

Are you set up with mobile and/or electronic banking?

We are encouraging customers to set up access to mobile check deposit and mobile banking applications. In the event of a mandatory or discretionary quarantine, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to keep our branch location open, but if you are set up on the mobile banking app we can still provide you with the services you may need during a mandatory quarantine.

Need help setting up your mobile banking?

Call (734) 741-5858 Or visit the app store… available here:

Personal Banking

Business Banking

In addition to our mobile & electronic banking platforms we also have ATMs located in the community.

We are part of the AllPoint ATM Network, a surcharge free service to our customers, a list of their ATMs can be found here: http://www.allpointnetwork.com/locator.aspx

University Bank also has two additional locations available to banking customers.

Located on the Liberty St. side of Potbelly’s Sandwich Shop
300 S State St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Located in the drive thru at Bear Claw Coffee Co.
2460 Washtenaw Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48104

What University Bank is Doing to Keep You Safe

As always,employees are still dedicated and ready to serve you as needed and are taking the following precautions to ensure our collective health and well-being:

  • Wiping down and disinfecting work areas
  • Applying the recommended social distancing of six feet from others to prevent person-to-person transmission
  • Encouraging phone conversations or email communication over in person meetings

Protecting Our Employees

To protect employees, University Bank is taking the following measures:

  • Cancelling non-essential business travel
  • Utilizing technology for large group meetings
  • Reinforcing good hygiene practices such as frequent hand washing

Join Us in Preventing the Spread of the Coronavirus

The CDC has released the following guidance:

  • Learn about the signs and symptoms of COVID-19, which include fever, cough and difficulty breathing
  • STAY HOME WHEN YOU ARE SICK, and individuals at risk of severe illness should consider staying at home to avoid others who are sick
  • Regularly clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces, such as doorknobs, cell phones and light switches
  • Communicate and reinforce best practices for washing hands and covering coughs and sneezes

Thank you for being a loyal customer.

Our team is ready to assist any customer(s) that advises us they may be financially impacted by this virus/situation. It is also our intent to remain transparent, providing the latest information we have to provide. We are privileged to serve you and your community and look forward to seeing you soon.

Regards,

Benjamin T. Kramer
Senior Vice President, Director of Community Banking