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COVID-relief loan scams often impersonate the SBA, a lender, or a collection agency to obtain personal information, reach bank accounts, or deliver harmful software. A familiar logo or official-sounding name is not proof. If you receive an unexpected message about PPP or COVID-EIDL, don’t click its links or share information; verify it by contacting the SBA or your lender through details you find independently.
What common COVID-relief loan scams look like
The SBA warns that scammers have targeted PPP and COVID-EIDL borrowers with phishing calls and emails impersonating the SBA, lenders, and collection agencies. A message may use SBA branding while asking for personal information, trying to gain access to a bank account, or urging you to download an attachment that could contain harmful software. The SBA’s borrower guidance puts it plainly: “An SBA logo isn’t a guarantee of authenticity.” SBA borrower guidance
Some solicitations instead present themselves as application help or a route to funding. In letters dated May 14 and June 22, 2020, the FTC and SBA described websites that claimed SBA authorization or affiliation while advertising help with relief applications or disaster loans. These are historical examples of misleading claims, not evidence that any named business is currently operating fraudulently. FTC and SBA joint letter, May 14, 2020 FTC letter, June 22, 2020
How to check whether an SBA loan email or offer is real
Assess the message without relying on one clue. SBA guidance says official SBA emails come from addresses ending in @sba.gov, but a displayed sender name, logo, or link label can be misleading. Check the actual sender address and the full destination URL. Be wary if the message arrived unexpectedly, asks for sensitive information or payment, or sends you to a site that is not an official SBA or lender portal. These checks are warning signs, not a scoring system; confirm the request directly with the relevant agency or lender. SBA borrower guidance
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- Inspect the sender and web address: Don’t trust branding or the text displayed on a link. Look at the real email address and destination domain.
- Consider what it asks you to do: An unexpected request for a Social Security number, address, bank details, or a download deserves caution.
- Verify the request independently: Find the lender’s or SBA’s contact details on sba.gov or in the official loan portal. Don’t rely only on a callback number in an unsolicited message.
What to do if you receive a suspicious message
- Stop before responding. Don’t disclose personal information in response to a suspicious call or email. The SBA says it will not ask for personal information through third-party platforms. SBA borrower guidance
- Don’t click unknown links or open unexpected attachments. Instead, type the official address yourself or locate the SBA site or loan portal independently. SBA borrower guidance SBA COVID-19 relief options
- Initiate contact through a trusted route. For an existing PPP loan, use the PPP forgiveness portal’s help feature or contact your lender through independently obtained details. For COVID-EIDL servicing, use the SBA portal or COVID-EIDL Customer Service Center listed on the SBA’s program page. SBA COVID-19 relief options
- Report suspected fraud or identity theft. Use the SBA Office of Inspector General Hotline for suspected SBA program fraud. If someone obtained a loan using your identity without permission, follow the SBA’s identity-theft reporting process. Reach the current forms and directions through the SBA’s official reporting page. SBA Office of Inspector General Hotline
Does an SBA loan application fee mean it is a scam?
A fee claim needs context. A joint FTC/SBA letter dated May 14, 2020 stated that agents—including lead generators and others providing PPP application assistance—were prohibited from charging PPP applicants fees directly or by taking a fee from loan proceeds. That historical warning concerns PPP application assistance at that time; it should not be treated as a complete rule for every loan or service today. Check current program rules through official SBA channels before paying for help. FTC and SBA joint letter, May 14, 2020
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why a message about an old loan can still be legitimate
The SBA says PPP ended on May 31, 2021, but existing borrowers can still have servicing or forgiveness questions. COVID-EIDL servicing also continues. So a message referring to an old loan is not automatically fraudulent; verify it independently rather than responding through the message. The SBA’s current COVID-19 relief page links to servicing information and portals for existing borrowers. SBA COVID-19 relief options
The scale of the programs helps explain why impersonation and fraud are concerns, but it cannot establish that a particular message—or borrower—is fraudulent. In a 2023 report, the SBA Office of Inspector General said about $1.2 trillion in COVID-19 EIDL and PPP funds had been disbursed and estimated over $200 billion in potentially fraudulent COVID-EIDL, related advances, and PPP funds—at least 17 percent of the total. “Potentially fraudulent” is the OIG’s estimate, not proof that every flagged loan was fraudulent. The report also said nearly $30 billion had been seized or returned to the SBA. SBA OIG report, 2023
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