Contact:
David H. Weiss
(216) 623-8964 x 100
dweiss@cleveland.bbb.org
While significant efforts are being made (in conjunction with law enforcement) to shut down phishing attacks using BBB’s name, they continue in varying formats. The most recent attacks resulted in voluminous messages arriving in some e-mailboxes. The email addresses of message recipients are NOT being harvested from BBB’s database – most messages are received by businesses and consumers not in our database. Here are some tips on identifying (and deleting) potentially damaging phony BBB messages.
Can You Spot the Mistakes in the Following Email?
Valued business manager, we have obtained several complaints through the Better Business Bureau online complaint center regarding several unauthorized transaction from a number of private bank accounts to your corporate account. You can view the complaints in our online complaint center using the following link: (SCAM LINK DELETED)
The BBB Complaint Center
Your login data:
Complaint ID: #11491
Password: 10982:
The Better Business Bureau acts as an intermediary between US and Canadian consumers and business, and assists in mitigating consumer-related issues as an impartial third-party service. In special cases The Better Business Bureau has the right to initiate a formal investigation of a business involved in feedback.
Sincerely,
Dispute Resolution Officer. Daquan Morris
Council of Better Business Bureaus
3033 Wilson Blvd, Suite 600
Arlington,VA22201
What’s Wrong With This Message? Plenty.
First, the Council of Better Business Bureaus does not process ordinary complaints. They do run BBB AUTO LINE, which handles new car warranty and “lemon law” disputes—again for new cars—with major automobile manufacturers. They’re also involved in national advertising review—not complaints.
Second, each of our 116 BBBs handles complaints for local businesses. So if your business is located in Spokane, you will only receive complaints from the BBB serving Eastern Washington, North Idaho, and Montana. If your business operates out of Seattle, you will only receive complaints from the BBB serving Western Washington, Alaska, and Oregon.
Third, you would receive each complaint separately, not all in a wad.
Fourth, the sentence “In special cases The Better Business Bureau has the right to initiate a formal investigation of a business involved in feedback” is pure garbage.
The BBB is not a regulatory or legal body. We don’t “investigate” businesses that consumers complain about. (But we do investigate scams like this one.) We don’t automatically assume you did something wrong if you get a complaint. The BBB acts as a neutral third-party to try and resolve disputed issues. And there are at least two sides to every issue.
Fifth: Note the English language mistakes in this email. First, who addresses people as “Valued business owner?” Anyway the B and the O should be in caps. In the final paragraph, the “The” preceding Better Business Bureau should not be capitalized. And “involved in feedback”? Nice try, scammers, but not accurate.
Remember
If you receive a communication designed to make you panic, STOP. Do not click any links. Take a moment to breathe. Then pick up the phone and dial a legitimate number for your local BBB office. We’ll tell you if it’s a scam.
