PBA COVID-19 Relief Fund Scam

PBA COVID-19 Relief Fund Scam

There are Professional Beauty Association (PBA) and PBA Charities scams stealing personal information by tricking business owners into visiting fake and phishing SBA websites. The Office of Inspector General recognizes that we are facing unprecedented times and is alerting the public about potential fraud schemes related to economic stimulus programs in response to the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19). The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the largest financial assistance bill to date, includes provisions to help small businesses. And, fraudsters have already begun targeting small business owners during these economically difficult times.

Therefore applicants are asked to go to the legitimate PBA COVID-19 Relief Fund website located at:

Once on the website, applicants will asked to go to their form at:

About the PBA COVID-19 Relief Fund

The Professional Beauty Association (PBA) and PBA Charities have created a new fund to help our industry during this unprecedented crisis.

The will provide $500 to licensed beauty professionals who are unable to work due to COVID-19. The funding, if awarded to you, is intended to be emergency aid for short-term immediate needs such as food and bills.

Please note:

  • Funds are limited to donations in hand and we expect to receive an overwhelming number of applications.
  • We understand $500 doesn't replace your lost income, our goal is to provide a meaningful amount of aid while assisting as many as possible. Not everyone who submits an application will receive funding.
  • Applications will be reviewed on a daily basis Monday through Friday.
  • In order for your application to be considered, you MUST complete all the requested fields accurately.
  • Applications will be funded with a lottery system as donations are received so that all eligible applicants have an equal chance of receiving aid.
  • Do not submit multiple applications. Duplicates slow down the process for everyone and those submitting multiple applications will be disqualified.
  • Due to growing concern for our staff’s ability to work onsite with quarantines, potential mail disruption, business closures & overall need to speed up funding delivery, our payment delivery approach will be a virtual prepaid card through Tradeshift/American Express. Selected aid applicants will receive an email with a link to create a login with our payment partner, Tradeshift Go. Once logged in, you will be able to request your $500. Once the request is approved, your funding becomes immediately available on a virtual prepaid card that you can use to pay bills and make purchases anywhere that American Express is accepted online or over the phone. Please make sure you use a valid email address on your application, or you will not receive funds.

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND: If you personally have access to funds, remember we have many industry friends who will rely on this aid. Only apply for funds if you are really in need. Those participating in individual or salon-based fundraisers for COVID-19 relief (i.e. a GoFundMe for your salon) are not eligible to apply.

Please do NOT follow up on your application, we will reach out to you if we need additional information and will do our best to process applications in a timely manner.

Check the comment section below for additional information, share what you know, or ask a question about this article by leaving a comment below. And, to quickly find answers to your questions, use our search Search engine.

Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.

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Comments(Total: 6)

April 11, 2020 at 12:42 PM by
PBA COVID-19 Relief Fund Scam
an anonymous user from: Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States

Zo is the pba fund for 500 dollars legit or not.

Delete

April 11, 2020 at 12:48 PM by
PBA COVID-19 Relief Fund Scam
info

It is a legit.

Delete

April 6, 2020 at 2:15 PM by
PBA COVID-19 Relief Fund Scam
an anonymous user from: Niles, Illinois, United States

Oh man I completed this form

Delete

April 5, 2020 at 7:16 PM by
PBA COVID-19 Relief Fund Scam
an anonymous user from: Berkeley, California, United States

oh c**p, I did the same thing. what can I do now?

Delete

April 2, 2020 at 10:29 PM by
PBA COVID-19 Relief Fund Scam
an anonymous user from: Dracut, Massachusetts, United States

I just completed form EIDL covic19 and I have application # .is it real? what should I do?

Delete

April 2, 2020 at 10:35 PM by
PBA COVID-19 Relief Fund Scam
info

Where did you complete the form? What is the URL or website address of the form?

Delete

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Online Threat Alerts Security Tips

Pay the safest way

Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.

Guard your personal information

In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.

Be careful of the information you share

Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with

Know who you’re dealing with

Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.

Check your accounts

Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.

Don’t believe promises of easy money

If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.

Do not open email from people you don’t know

If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.

Think before you click

If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.

Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond

If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.

Be careful with links and new website addresses

Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.

Secure your personal information

Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.

Stay informed on the latest cyber threats

Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.

Use Strong Passwords

Strong passwords are critical to online security.

Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs

Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.

Update the operating systems on your electronic devices

Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.

What if You Got Scammed?

Stop Contact With The Scammer

Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.

Secure Your Finances

  • Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
  • Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:

Check Your Computer

If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.

Change Your Account Passwords

Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.

Report The Scam

Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.

Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:

  • Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
  • Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
  • Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.

How To Recognize a Phishing Scam

Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.

Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:

Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might

  • say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
  • claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
  • say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
  • include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
  • want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
  • say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
  • offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real

About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)

Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.

By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.

With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.

Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.

Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).

PBA COVID-19 Relief Fund Scam