Chicago,
IL-November 23, 2011 - The Better Business Bureau (BBB) warns businesses to
beware of a malicious e-mail claiming to be from the BBB about a complaint
filed against a company. The BBB does not send complaints out as
attachments.
The
phishing email is sent from multiple e-mail addresses and has in its subject
line a nine digit complaint number. BBB Accredited
and non-Accredited Businesses have been targeted and some consumers have also
received the e-mail.
The body of the e-mail states the company has received a complaint
and asks the company to respond by directing the e-mail recipient to a link
shown as our national website at http://www.bbb.org; this, however, is a disguised link to
a third party website.
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,
- Completely
delete the message from your inbox,
- Run
a full virus scan immediately on your computer if you did click on any
links.
If you receive an e-mail from the BBB about a complaint filed
against your business and need assistance in determining whether or not it is
legitimate, contact the BBB serving Chicago and
northern Illinois
at (312)832-0500 or info@chicago.bbb.org
Phishing e-mails are a common way for hackers to
get at your personal information or break into your computer.
“Don’t click on any links or open any attachments
to e-mails until you have confirmed that they are not malicious. E-mail
addresses that don’t match up, typos and grammatical mistakes are common red
flags of a malicious phishing e-mail,” said Steve J. Bernas, president &
CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Chicago
and northern Illinois.
“Also beware of unsolicited e-mails from companies with which you have no
association. Make sure you have current antivirus software and all security
patches have been installed on the computer.”
For more information on phishing and how to keep
your computer safe, visit www.bbb.org
Below is an example of this phishing
e-mail; do not click on the links or reply to the sender.
----- Original Message -----
From: alert@bbb.org
To:
Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2011 6:28 AM
Subject: Complaint # 22127769
The Better Business
Bureau has received the above-referenced complaint from one of your customers regarding
their dealings with you.
The details of the
consumer's concern are included on the reverse.
Please review this matter and advise us of your position.
As a neutral third
party, the Better Business Bureau can help to resolve the matter. Often complaints
are a result of misunderstandings a company wants to know about and correct.
We
encourage you to use our ONLINE COMPLAINT system to respond this complaint.
The
following URL (website address) below will take you directly to this complaint
and you will be able to enter your response directly on our website: www.bbb.org
###
As a
private, non-profit organization, the purpose of the Better Business Bureau is
to promote an ethical marketplace. BBBs help resolve buyer/seller complaints by
means of conciliation, mediation and arbitration. BBBs also review advertising
claims, online business practices and charitable organizations. BBBs develop
and issue reviews on businesses and nonprofit organizations and encourage
people to check out a company or charity before making a purchase or donation.
