Consumer Scam Alert: Do Not Use Federal Reserve Routing Account Numbers to Pay Bills; Could Face Late Fees, Other Charges Media Contact June Gates june.a.gates@clev.frb.org 216.579.2048 Recently, the Federal Reserve Banks have received a number of unauthorized transactions in which consumers have tried to use the Fed’s routing numbers and their Social Security numbers to pay their bills. Federal Reserve routing numbers are used for sorting and processing payments between banks. Any video, text, email, phone call, flyer, or website that describes how to pay bills using a Federal Reserve Bank routing number, or using an account at a Federal Reserve Bank, is a scam. The bill payments being attempted using the Fed’s routing numbers are being rejected and returned unpaid. Consumers who have attempted to use the Fed's routing numbers to pay their bills may be subject to penalty fees from the company they were attempting to pay. The Federal Reserve provides