Cleveland Better Business Bureau warns of scams ahead of nationwide alert test

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Cleveland is warning scams may follow a nationwide test of the emergency alert system this week.

According to a press release, the test will happen at 2:20 p.m. on Wednesday across personal cell phones, televisions and over radio.

The alerts will come from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The alert will read, “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” No links or attachments will be included.

You do not need to react to these messages, but some scammers may take advantage of the alert. Therefore, the FCC says you should not click on any links or attachments after the alert. This could compromise your personal information.

People with questions can visit the FCC or FEMA websites.

The press release also gave the following tips for consumers:

• Be Skeptical and Use Trusted Resources - Fact-check information with reputable news sources when possible. Consumers can also visit federal websites for agencies such as FEMA or the FCC
• Guard Personal Information – Scammers may try to solicit personal information. Be mindful of this, and always verify, when possible, the organization or individual you are communicating to through a third-party resource.
• Check for Spelling and Grammatical Errors – While not all scammers have poor grammar, many fraudsters located off-shore do. Carefully check over communications and analyze them for any inconsistencies.

You can report a scam on the BBB’s scam tracker.

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