Fraud Potentially Linked to Public Data

Union State Bank Issues Alert on Rise in Bank Impersonation Scams Targeting Businesses

First Published October 2025

Union State Bank is warning commercial customers to stay alert as a new wave of bank impersonation scams has emerged across the region. Fraudsters have been calling the bank’s commercial account customers using a “spoofing” tactic, designed to scam businesses out of account information.

“Several of our commercial customers reported receiving fraudulent calls that appeared legitimate,” said Stephanie Quiggle, Union State Bank’s Fraud and Financial Crimes Manager. “The caller ID displayed the bank’s name and a local-area code, details that would typically reassure a customer the call is authentic.”

According to Quiggle, the scam does not appear isolated to Union State Bank. “Multiple financial institutions in the area reported receiving similar impersonation calls targeting their business customers,” she stated. USB believes fraudsters may be relying on public data such as information related to Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans available through the Small Business Administration’s website to identify business banking relationships.

In Union State Bank’s customers’ incidents, the caller knew the businesses were associated with USB but lacked specific details about individual accounts. Instead, the scam relies on a generic approach to coax victims into sharing account information. “They used vague language to build trust and acquire sensitive details to be able to build their own customer profile for the customer,” Quiggle added.

The goal of these impostors is to steal business identities for criminal purposes, including creating fraudulent checks or opening unauthorized accounts at other financial institutions. Fortunately, USB customers who experienced the scam were suspicious and ended the calls before any data was compromised.

Quiggle emphasized that fraudsters have become increasingly aggressive with their attempts to defraud their victims. “Bank impersonation scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, so it's important to recognize red flags,” she said.

Union State Bank has implemented strict multi-layer identity verification protocols and continues to notify customers through both public and banking platforms about the ongoing threat. The institution reiterates that it does not request personal information through unsolicited texts or calls from unfamiliar numbers.

Even when a call appears to come from Union State Bank, customers should carefully evaluate the interaction. The bank stresses that it will never ask customers to confirm their identity by providing confidential information such as online banking usernames or passwords, one-time passcodes, full account numbers, or Social Security numbers. Additionally, the bank will not use threatening or urgent language regarding account access.

Customers who suspect fraud should end the interaction immediately. “If you receive a call, text, or email you suspect is potentially fraud, hang up. Do not click. Do not respond,” Quiggle urged. Instead, reach out directly to Union State Bank or visit a branch.

To further safeguard accounts, Union State Bank encourages customers to maintain updated contact information, use strong and regularly changed passwords, enable multi-factor authentication, and never share passcodes or login credentials, even with someone claiming to represent the bank. If fraud is confirmed, victims should report it to both Union State Bank and the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov.