We have learned about a new scam where fraudsters use the government-published PPP loan lists to target customers who received loans. This is what the scam looks like:

The scammer states they’re from the local sheriff’s office, explicitly saying the county you reside in (i.e., “This is X with the Barnes County Sheriff’s Office.”). They inform you that your PPP loan was not fully forgiven and you’ve been fined. They provide loan-specific details, such as the loan date and amount, and mention Bank Forward as the lender. The scammer says they can resolve the issue if you pay what’s due over the phone by credit card, debit card, or Venmo.

Among many other types of government-backed loan/payment programs, PPP loans are public information, making them ripe for scammers to pick. Please be assured your PPP loan through Bank Forward was properly forgiven by the SBA, and we have verification on file that we can provide at your request.

Always be suspicious of anyone asking you to pay over the phone and whenever you have concerns, call your branch directly using the number published on our website or contact us through our website.

To learn more about fraud awareness, read our Spot a Scammer article in the Learning Center.