A letter shows up about an SBA loan you never asked for. Or a 1099-G arrives for unemployment benefits you never got. Someone used your name to pull money from a government program. It is a quiet crime, and it leaves paperwork. This guide puts the first moves in order. Build your Identity Theft Report first, then send it to the agency that handled the application.

Recognize the warning signs

Government program fraud usually starts with mail. A notice about a loan, a state agency letter about a claim you did not file, or a tax form for money you never received. Treat each one as a clue. Do not file it with the junk mail.

Unemployment fraud has a few other tells. The Department of Labor describes claim hijacking, where a real claim gets taken over. Payments stop without warning. A bank account or mailing address changes. You get asked to verify your identity. The claim may even sit in a state where you never lived or worked, so location proves nothing.

Before you answer any message, check who sent it. The CFPB advises looking up official websites and phone numbers yourself. Do not use contact details from the message. Scammers have posed as federal agencies, police, and banks, and some say your information was used to open accounts.

Build your identity theft report

Most of the process hangs on one document, the Identity Theft Report. You can file it at IdentityTheft.gov, which the CFPB says also gives you a recovery plan. You can also report to local police. Save a copy and any confirmation number. You will need it again.

For SBA cases, the agency asks for three things:

  1. A copy of your photo ID.
  2. Your Identity Theft Report.
  3. A completed SBA Declaration of Identity Theft.
A desk in bright window light with a photo ID, printed identity theft report, and a declaration form laid out side by side before mailing.
A desk with a photo ID, a printed identity theft report, and a declaration form laid out side by side before submission

The declaration covers COVID-19 EIDL, PPP loans, Restaurant Revitalization Awards, 504 Debentures, and other 7(a) loans. SBA lists OMB Control Number 3245-0418, effective July 25, 2025. Forms get updated, so check SBA's site for the current version. The form page is a good place to start.

Then gather the basics before you send anything:

  1. Which program was used: SBA 7(a), 504, EIDL, PPP, or unemployment insurance.
  2. The date you first noticed a problem.
  3. Every letter, form, or email you received about it.

Put it all in one folder, paper or digital. A single place for the notice, the report, and your sent copies saves you from hunting later. That habit is common sense rather than an agency rule.

Send documents to the right office

Match the route to the program. SBA says you can upload documents through the SBA Loan Portal, email them, or fax them. Physical and economic injury disaster loans, including COVID-19 EIDL, go to [email protected]. Loans under 504, 7(a), PPP, and Restaurant Revitalization Awards go to [email protected]. Confirm both addresses on the SBA reporting page before sending sensitive files.

For disaster loan help, SBA lists 800-659-2955, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET. The general line is 800-827-5722. The mailing address is 409 3rd St., SW, Washington, DC 20416. Keep a copy of whatever you send, and note the date you sent it.

One more route exists. If you think someone is misusing SBA funds, the SBA Office of Inspector General hotline takes reports of fraud, waste, abuse, or mismanagement. That is a different channel from an identity theft declaration. Depending on your situation, you may need both.

Protect your credit and accounts

The CFPB tells identity theft victims to close compromised accounts, report to police and IdentityTheft.gov, and consider fraud alerts or security freezes on credit reports. The sources here do not explain how either one works or how they differ, so use the CFPB and the credit bureaus' own pages.

Check your credit reports for anything opened in your name. Read each entry slowly. The sources do not cover how to dispute a fraudulent loan line by line, so look to the same official pages for that.

For unemployment fraud, watch your bank records too. Unexpected debit cards, odd deposits, or changed bank or address details on a benefit account are all red flags. If a 1099-G arrives for benefits you never received, follow the Department of Labor's unemployment identity fraud guidance and contact the state agency that issued it.

Spot scams aimed at victims

Victims often get targeted a second time. The CFPB notes the FTC never threatens people, never asks you to move money to protect it, and never tells you to withdraw cash or buy gold. Any message that does is a scam, whatever logo it wears. Common signs include:

  • A stranger offers to fix your case for a fee.
  • Someone asks for details you never gave the agency.
  • Payment is requested by an unusual method.

Stop and verify through official numbers. The CFPB fraud page lists common impersonation tricks.

What the sources leave open

Some answers are not in the sources used here. They do not say how long SBA review takes, or whether a loan in your name must be repaid while review is pending. They do not say what to do if a debt collector calls about it, or how to fix your credit report afterward. They also do not cover relief programs beyond SBA loans and unemployment insurance, such as stimulus payments.

Ask the agency handling your case about timing and repayment. For collectors and credit report fixes, start with CFPB consumer resources. If a question feels urgent, write it down and ask it on the first call.