Alert: Beware of Scams and Frauds Related to COVID-19 and Grant Funding

It has come to our attention that there are scammers contacting HUD grantees with erroneous grant funding opportunities requesting up-front fees to disseminate the funding.

Know it. HUD never contacts grantees asking for up-front costs or fees to disseminate grant funding. HUD does not send grant announcement notifications via informal channels such as a personal email to an individual. If you suspect that communication you have received could be a scam, contact your local field office to verify the information before responding or clicking on any links. Review the other scams related to coronavirus reported by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Avoid it. Avoid clicking on hyperlinks to websites asking for personal information or direct deposit information, even if the communication looks official.

Report it. Report potential scams or suspicious communications to:

• HUD Office of the Inspector General (OIG): hotline@hudoig.gov
• Federal Trade Commission (FTC): Complaint Assistance: spam@uce.gov
• Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF): ffetf@doj.gov