FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU OF ARKANSAS
Contacts:
Janet Robb, President/CEO (501-664-7274)
Mike Rohrer, Director of Communications (501-664-7274)
BBB is NOT sending this Email!
If you are receiving this email, do nothing! This is a scam.
Please see below:
New Advice for Recipients of BBB Complaint Email Scam
An email scam using BBB's name and logo continues to proliferate. Most of the emails contain the subject line “Complaint from your customers" and have a link or attachment containing phishing malware that steals information.
An email scam using the Better Business Bureau’s name and logo continues to proliferate across North America, and even to some overseas addresses. Most of the emails carry the famous BBB torch logo and come with the subject line “Complaint from your customers.” The emails have a link or an attachment containing malicious phishing malware that steals information, often with devastating results.
Because of experiences such as this one, BBB has updated its advice and recommends the following to anyone who receives the email:
· Do not to open any attachments
· Do not click on any links
· Please send your suspect emails to: phishing@cscprotectsbrands.com
· Delete the email from your inbox, and then delete it again from your trash or recycling folder
· Run a full system scan using reputable virus software
Previously, BBB had recommended running a full system scan only if the recipient had clicked on the link or opened the attachment. But due to the virulent nature of the virus, the new recommendation is for everyone who receives it to do the scan. In offices or homes that are networked, all computers should be scanned.
BBB also recommends that all domain owners set up a sender policy framework (SPF) and set their spam filter to use it. Using the SPF standard helps fight spam and phishing attacks by allowing your email servers to verify whether an email is legitimate…or not.
Microsoft offers a simple, four-step process for setting up an SPF: www.microsoft.com/mscorp/safety/content/technologies/senderid/wizard/
If you receive an email saying your business has a complaint filed against it with BBB, there are several things you can do to authenticate it:
• Look for typos, grammatical errors, etc. in the text that could indicate it originated overseas.
• Check to see who it says it is from. Complaints go out from the local BBBs, not from the headquarters office.
• Hover your mouse over the link to see if its destination is really a bbb.org address.
• Copy and paste the link into Notepad (not Word). Notepad does not support html, so if the link is a fake bbb.org address, the real link will show up.
• If you still are not sure, go to www.bbb.org to find your local BBB, and send them a new email to ask if you have a complaint (do not Reply to the email you received, or forward it to them). They have been swamped with requests, so you may not hear back immediately.
BBB is working with federal law enforcement agencies to identify the perpetrator of this fraud, and is also looking into other measures it can take to help prevent future phishing scams from spreading.