FRAUD ALERT: SBA and Eventbrite-Themed Phishing Campaign

SBA and Eventbrite-Themed Phishing Campaign

WASHINGTON – The Office of the Chief Information Officer Cyber Security Team is aware of a phishing campaign where malicious actors are impersonating the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of Disaster Assistance (ODA) and SBA-themed Eventbrite events. These malicious actors are asking users to verify their account to collect personally identifiable information (PII).

Users engaging with an SBA event on Eventbrite expect privacy protections while interfacing with the agency.

SBA will not use Eventbrite to:

1. Actively seek PII
2. Search Eventbrite for or by PII
3. “Follow” public users proactively without a waiver.

SBA will only collect minimal PII from users on an SBA Eventbrite event to accomplish a purpose authorized by statute, executive order, or regulation

SBA will use Eventbrite to:

1. Establish user names and passwords to form administrator profiles
2. Create event pages
3. Register attendees
4. Track attendance to official SBA events.

To protect your privacy and the privacy of others, do not include your full name, date of birth, social security number, address, phone numbers, email addresses, case numbers, or any other PII in public-facing comments or responses.

If you are in the process of applying for an SBA loan and receive email correspondence asking for PII, ensure that the referenced application number is consistent with the actual application number. Remember, phishing emails may contain links to click and/or attachments to open. For additional information on scams and frauds, please visit: https://www.sba.gov/document/report-sba-programs-scams-fraud-alerts

NOTE: Contacting individual staff members for service/support may result in a delayed response. If you have a question about an SBA disaster loan, please call 800-659-2955 or send an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.  

Source: https://www.dhs.gov/eventbrite-privacy-policy-and-notice

Source: https://www.sba.gov/document/report-sba-programs-scams-fraud-alerts

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