Federal relief funds scam tracked by the Better Business Bureau

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — The Better Business Bureau has reported over 800 calls and messages nationally about paycheck scams involving federal relief funds in the past two months, which have now hit North Alabama within the past week. 

“Consumers began receiving calls from someone named Dan,” explained Karen Reeves, President and CEO of the BBB of North Alabama. “He’s trying to get you to go to a website, www.myreliefcheck.com, and check and see if you’ve got some federal funds or unclaimed funds in your name.” 

Reeves said that the caller, Dan, calls from a number with a 256-area code, leaves a voicemail telling you may have some unclaimed funds that are in your name in the amount of $5,286.  

Once the victim logs onto the website, that’s where the scammer grabs your personal and financial information.  

“Immediately, we began to see scam tracker reports about this, but this is what they are doing in each state, and it’s creating a false sense of urgency,” said Reeves.  

Reeves told News 19 that the main key to realizing that the call is a scam is that a government agency will never make a phone call, and a government agency website is always going to end in .gov. 

“You never get a live person when you call the number back,” Reeves said. “That’s another red flag right there to and it’s not necessarily the same 256 number.” 

You can contact the Better Business Bureau of North Alabama for information about local agencies that have offered to assist furloughed federal workers.