There’s a new coronavirus-related scam making the rounds, but this time the crooks are targeting small businesses. It starts with an email that claims to come from the “Small Business Administration Office of Disaster Assistance.” It says you’re eligible for a loan of up to $250,000 and asks for personal information like birth date and Social Security number. Let’s do a CSI-style investigation to spot clues that the email is a fake.

 

Clue #1. You got an email or phone call out of the blue that claims to be from the IRS, the Social Security Administration, or – in this case – the Small Business Administration. The FTC has warned about government imposter scams like this.