Scam Alert: System for Award Management Email Notifications from Third Party Companies

Date
January 09, 2020

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) continues to alert vendors of its Commodity Procurement Program (CPP) about third party companies offering to help update information contained within the System for Award Management (SAM) website for a fee. The use of the SAM website is free to use and update. Paying a third party to use the service is unnecessary.

We have also been made aware of recent scam emails that offer to “help companies start the renewal process online” or suggest “Your Federal Profile is Almost Complete. Immediate Action Required!” SAM requires an annual recertification and sends out email reminders prior to the expiration. Companies can access SAM directly, free of charge, to verify their status. Furthermore, if your registration is not complete, you may log into SAM to make that determination for yourself. 

As a reminder, your SAM registration contains sensitive business information, including banking and other sensitive information. Login ID’s and password should not be shared with anyone outside your company. It is highly recommended that only company employees should modify and update data in SAM.

Please remember that SAM is neither affiliated with nor maintained by the USDA. If you have any questions regarding access or use, please contact the SAM help desk at 866-606-8220, option #1.

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