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The Money Desk · Blog
Re:

How to Check Whether an SBA COVID-19 Relief Loan or Grant Is Legitimate

A claimed new COVID EIDL or PPP award deserves careful verification: both programs are closed to new applications. Check the sender and URL, then contact SBA or your lender through a route you find independently.
From TheFinanceBase Team4 min to read
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If you received an unexpected offer for a new SBA COVID-19 loan or grant, do not click its links, open attachments, pay a fee, or share personal or banking information until you verify it. COVID EIDL stopped accepting new applications in 2022, and PPP is closed to new loans. Check the sender and full web address, then contact the SBA or your lender using details you find independently on SBA.gov. A logo or official-sounding name is not proof.

How to check an SBA COVID loan or grant offer

  1. Pause before responding. Do not reply, click a link, open an unexpected attachment, or provide sensitive information while you check. SBA warns that scammers impersonate the agency, lenders, and collection agencies by phone and email. Federal guidance is free, and SBA says it will not ask for personal information through third-party platforms. See SBA’s scam warning.
  2. Inspect the actual sender and complete URL. SBA says official SBA email addresses end in @sba.gov, but that alone does not authenticate a message. Check the full website address rather than relying on a display name, logo, or link text. SBA’s Office of Inspector General warns that its logo can be misused; a logo does not show that a page is accurate or endorsed.
  3. Check whether the offer matches the program’s status. A claimed new COVID EIDL or PPP award is a reason to stop and verify independently: neither program is open to new applications. An existing borrower’s servicing or forgiveness issue is different and may be legitimate.
  4. Find a contact route independently. Navigate to the relevant page on SBA.gov yourself, or use the contact information in established lender records. Do not use a phone number, email address, or portal link supplied only by the suspicious message.
  5. Report suspected fraud or address identity theft. Report suspected SBA program fraud, waste, abuse, or mismanagement to the SBA OIG Hotline. If someone used your identity to obtain an SBA loan, follow SBA’s separate identity-theft instructions.

Why a new COVID relief award is a red flag

COVID EIDL

The SBA says COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) applications and advances closed on January 1, 2022. It stopped processing increase requests and reconsiderations on May 6, 2022, and closed the RAPID portal on May 16, 2022. The SBA page describing the program was updated March 26, 2026. Existing borrowers may still need help with their loans, but that is not the same as receiving a new award. See the COVID EIDL page.

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)

PPP is closed to new loans. Existing borrowers may still have forgiveness, servicing, or lender questions; ongoing support for an existing loan does not mean the program is making new awards. SBA directs borrowers with questions about individual PPP applications to their lender. See its PPP information and contact page.

“Grant” is often used loosely in messages, but it does not identify a specific program. EIDL loans and advances and PPP loans had different rules. Ask which named program and which existing application or loan the message concerns; do not treat a vague “COVID relief grant” offer as proof that an SBA award is available.

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Warning signs to take seriously

  • A demand for payment to unlock a promised award, arrange an inspection, or get help with an application. SBA’s OIG says SBA representatives do not charge applicants for disaster assistance, inspections, or help filling out applications; disaster workers do not solicit or accept money. Read SBA’s disaster scam guidance.
  • A request to provide personal or banking information through an unverified website, third-party platform, email, or text.
  • A suspicious link or attachment, even if the message uses SBA branding or claims to come from a lender or collections agency.
  • A purported new COVID EIDL or PPP award, given that those programs are closed to new applications.

“The presence of an SBA logo on a webpage does not guarantee that the information is accurate or endorsed by SBA.” — U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General

Use the route that fits your situation

Situation Where to start
Existing COVID EIDL question SBA lists [email protected] and the SBA Loan Portal. Its page says to include the loan or application number and reason for the request when emailing. Navigate to the SBA page independently to confirm the current route.
COVID EIDL payment SBA lists its Secure Payment Portal and 833-853-5638. The agency says paper checks are no longer accepted effective October 1, 2025. Confirm current payment instructions on the official COVID EIDL page before paying.
PPP application or existing-loan question Contact the lender, as SBA directs for individual PPP application questions. Direct forgiveness applicants can use the separate help route listed on the SBA contact page.
Suspected SBA program scam Report it to the SBA OIG Hotline.
Someone used your identity to obtain an SBA loan Follow the instructions on SBA’s identity-theft page. SBA lists a photo ID, an Identity Theft Report filed at IdentityTheft.gov or with local police, and a signed SBA Declaration of Identity Theft among the documentation. Verify the submission route on the official page before sending identity records.
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Distinguish an impersonation from a real account issue

A suspicious message cannot establish whether you have an SBA loan or whether a particular communication is genuine. If you are an existing borrower, sign in through a portal you reached from an independently verified SBA page, or contact the lender using established records. For a specific loan or application, ask the agency or lender to confirm it through that verified channel.

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In a September 23, 2026 release, SBA said IRS comparisons identified discrepancies associated with approximately $100 billion in loans and that the IRS opened examinations to determine whether additional taxes or penalties apply. SBA described the matter as suspected pandemic-relief fraud and possible tax liabilities; the figure is not a finding that every loan or borrower involved was fraudulent. Read the SBA announcement.

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