CONTACT:Susan Bach, Director of Communications
PHONE:414- 847- 6085
FAX: 414-302- 0355
E-MAIL: sbach@wisconsin.bbb.org
WISCONSIN BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU
BBB Warns of malicious complaint email claiming it’s from BBB
Milwaukee, Wis., March 29, 2012 — Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin is issuing an urgent scam alert cautioning businesses and consumers about an email that is purporting to be from BBB about a complaint concerning an “unauthorized transaction.”
The recent attack on consumers and businesses led the FBI to issue an alert this week about the recurrent scam.
Like many financial institutions and government agencies, BBB’s visibility and reputation for trust makes us an ideal vehicle for scammers. Consider that bbb.org receives over six million visits every month; this makes us an attractive decoy for fraud and malicious activity.
The scam email contains the following text:
“Dear business owner, we have obtained several complaints via the Better Business Bureau online complaint center concerning 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: (link deleted by BBB).”
Some consumers and business report receiving upwards of 50 of these emails in the past 24 hours. The email contains a dangerous link and bogus sign in information. This is a scam – BBB does not accept or send complaints concerning private financial transactions with a bank.
Should you receive such an email, please disregard its message, and forward any information received to phishing@council.bbb.org, and then delete it. If you have clicked on the link, immediately do a virus scan.
For more information or further inquiries, please contact the Wisconsin BBB at www.wisconsin.bbb.org or 414-847-6000 (metro Milwaukee), 920-734-4352 (Appleton), 608-268-2221 (Madison) or 1-800-273-1002 (elsewhere in Wisconsin).
About BBB
BBB is an unbiased non-profit organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. Businesses that earn BBB accreditation contractually agree and adhere to the organization’s high standards of ethical business behavior. BBB provides objective advice, free business BBB Reliability ReportsTM and charity BBB Wise Giving ReportsTM, and educational information on topics affecting marketplace trust. To further promote trust, BBB also offers complaint and dispute resolution support for consumers and businesses when there is difference in viewpoints. Although the first BBB was founded in 1912, the Wisconsin BBB began in 1939. Today, 125 BBBs serve communities across the U.S. and Canada, evaluating and monitoring more than four million local and national businesses and charities. Please visit www.bbb.org for more information about BBB.
