Beware of fake complaint reports

Chicago, IL – April 16, 2010- The Better Business Bureau is warning businesses to beware of a new malicious e-mail that pretends to be from the Better Business Bureau about a complaint filed against the company. The e-mail first came to the BBB’s attention on April 12, 2010.

“This is not the first time that the Better Business Bureau name and logo identification have been used in an attempt to impersonate our organization and legitimize a message, which in fact is a phishing attempt to have people disclose personal information or transmit a potentially harmful virus,” said Steve J. Bernas president & CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Chicago & Northern Illinois.

Bernas noted that while there have been two reports of companies in northern Illinois receiving such messages, he encourages all companies to be watchful.

The bogus e-mail that the BBB is warning businesses about claims that the receiving company did not respond to a complaint filed by a Kathleen Hicks (however other names may be used) and includes links to pages at www.wa-bbb.org and www.nb-bbb.org where the business can supposedly review the complaint.

Because the message is fraudulent, the BBB advises any business that receives this e-mail to take the following steps:

  • Do not click on any links or reply to the message,
  • Forward the message to phishing@council.bbb.org,
  • Completely delete the message from your inbox, and
  • Run a full virus scan on your computer if you did click on any links.

If you receive an e-mail from the Better Business Bureau about a complaint filed against your business and need assistance in determining whether or not it is legitimate, contact your local BBB directly at http://chicago.bbb.org.

For more advice on how to protect your business from malicious online attacks and data breaches visit www.bbb.org/data-security/