Many government contractors are undoubtedly familiar with SAM.gov (System for Award Management). One of its most important functions is the entity registration process, in which federal contractors are required to be active on SAM and continue to keep company information up-to-date. Due to this, many scammers have targeted companies needing to register or renew their SAM entity. In the blog, we’ll walk through what the contractors must know when utilizing SAM, such as how to register in SAM, what some of the more common scams contractors will run into, and how to stay compliant with changing regulations.
What’s Required for SAM.gov Registration?
To use SAM.gov or to be assigned a Unique Entity ID (UEI), your business must complete an entity validation through SAM.gov’s Entity Validation Service Provider (EVS). SAM.gov will compare the information you input into SAM to ensure that it matches its information in the system. If there is a mismatch of information or if there is no other possible match, SAM.gov will work with your business to ensure that the correct information is listed.
When registering in SAM, you’ll want to ensure that you have the following information available to submit:
- Legal Business Name
- Physical Address
- Date of Incorporation
- State of Incorporation or National Identifier
However, if your documentation does not have this information listed, SAM.gov may reject the upload. It’s recommended to follow these steps to ensure that your registration is not rejected:
- Explicitly State the Reason for Your Entity Validation Request in the Ticket
- Make Sure Any Document You Attach for Your SAM Entity Validation is Current
- Make Sure All Documents Have the Correct Information
- Don’t Use a P.O. Box to Demonstrate Your Physical Address in SAM.gov
- Attach a Certified English Translation to Any Non-English Documents
- Don’t Attach Original Applications or Forms, Only Processed Documents
- Attach Only High-Quality Documents On SAM.gov
By following these guidelines, you can steer clear of many common issues that arise during the SAM registration update process.
Engaging with the Federal Service Desk often involves lengthy back-and-forth and potential delays, so it’s best to start your registration prepared and equipped with the proper documentation. In the next section, we’ll discuss some of the most common SAM registration scams that target contractors during the update process.
Signs of a Scam Related to your SAM Account
Registering your business in SAM is an essential step toward pursuing federal contracting opportunities, but it also puts your business on the radar of potential scammers. Many contractors will receive fraudulent emails shortly after completing their registration. These messages often appear legitimate, posing as official government correspondence, but can result in losing money or your confidential information being exposed if not recognized and handled properly.
In this section, we’ll highlight the common traits of these scam emails, explain how to identify them, and share practical strategies to safeguard your business from falling victim to these scams.
Correspondence that Looks Official, but Isn’t
The first scam you need to be on the lookout for is correspondence that looks official but isn’t. If your entity registration is public, many scammers can pull information from SAM.gov, such as your Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code, registration expiration date, and points of contact, all of which can bolster the authentic look of an email. However, if it is not from a .gov email address, it is a scam and should be deleted.
Any message that appears to be related to your SAM registration but does not originate from an email ending in “.gov” should be treated as suspicious. These communications are not from an official government source and should be deleted immediately. It’s also a good idea to block the sender to prevent future contact.
Always double-check the sender’s address for small discrepancies such as misspellings, added words, or unusual domain endings. For instance, an email coming from “gsassam.com” or a similar variation is a clear sign of a fake address and not a legitimate government communication.
Promised Services for a Fee
Additionally, many scams will offer a fee in order to quickly process your SAM or complete your SAM registration on your behalf. However, registering your SAM or updating your SAM is a totally free process and you should not be paying to update it. Likewise, companies that offer to register your SAM registration for free are also unable to update SAM on your behalf. Only individuals within the company are authorized to register and update that company’s SAM.
Links to Websites that Don’t End in .gov
If you are linked to a website to register or renew your SAM registration, and the URL is not SAM.gov, do not enter any information into that website. You should also look for the logo in the screenshot above. You will log in to SAM.gov using your login.gov account, which is also a useful way of knowing that you are on the legitimate website rather than a website that is trying to collect your confidential information.
Language Designed to Drive Panic
Lastly, many scammers will frequently use language specifically designed to drive panic in its recipients. You will see emails such as “URGENT! SAM REGISTRATION EXPIRING IMMINENTLY! ACT NOW!” However, these emails tend to be created by scammers to drive unknowing individuals to update their SAM through a scam. Keep in mind to check the URL from which the email came, if it doesn’t come from a “.gov” account, it’s probably a scam.
Keep in Mind that SAM is a Legal Document
As the central repository for federal contractor information, terms, and conditions, you should view your entity’s SAM registration as a legal document. As such, be very careful before allowing an outside entity access to your SAM registration. Since SAM.gov contains your financial information, you want to ensure that this information does not fall into the wrong hands. As tempting as it may be, it is usually best to take care of renewing your SAM registration internally.
Why SAM Registration is Important Now More than Ever
As of 2025, the Trump Administration has cracked down on government procurement compliance, including contractor registrations, audits, and penalties. To achieve this, agencies are deploying enhanced data analytics and cross-system matching to flag registrations with inconsistencies (for example, mismatched addresses, conflicting incorporation dates, nonresident addresses). SAM.gov registrations now feed into these analytics systems. If your registration shows red flags, you may be subjected to audits even before contracting notices. Additionally, contract awarding agencies such as GSA have been directed to focus on contractor registration integrity. As a result, some procurements are now being burdened with extra compliance checks. If your SAM data doesn’t square with other federal databases (e.g. IRS, state business registries), your proposal may be delayed or rejected.
How to Find Legitimate Help for SAM Registration or Renewal
Being the potential victim of a scam can make you feel powerless, but now that we’ve discussed what not to do when renewing your SAM registration, I will touch on who you should turn to when registering or renewing your SAM registration. The main help desk for SAM.gov is the Federal Service Desk (FSD), which provides free technical support. If you have any questions about SAM.gov itself or are running into technical issues, they are the best resource to turn to. There are multiple ways to reach out to FSD, such as phone and live chat. The FSD’s Knowledge Base also contains a trove of useful resources for registering or renewing your SAM registration, including Quick Start Guides for entity registrations.
You can also reach out to your local APEX Accelerator, formerly known as the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). These organizations continue to serve as valuable resources for businesses seeking to work with the federal government. While they won’t complete your SAM registration on your behalf, they can offer hands-on support and ensure you’re taking the right steps toward successful compliance.
Your GSA Schedule consultant can also help you with your annual SAM renewal. If you have questions about SAM.gov registration or how it affects your federal contracting opportunities, such as the GSA Schedule, please reach out to Winvale, and we would be happy to help you.
