BBB Warns Of New Phishing Scam
DENVER (CBS4) - The Better Business Bureau is warning companies to be on the lookout for a new malicious email that appears to be about a complaint filed against their business. It's being sent under the guise of the BBB, and even uses their logo.
The catch is it's an email phishing scam that can cause big problems.
When Denver-area businessman Wayne Cobb saw the email he told CBS4 he thought it was legitimate and clicked on the link.
The email stated that there was a complaint filed against his company. The subject line was "BBB complaint case," followed by a 9 digit number. The email even appeared to be from a BBB address. The body of the email appeals to a person's fear that their company did not respond to a complaint filed by a consumer and includes a link to a page where the business can supposedly review the complaint.
Cobb got concerned.
"I wanted to deal with it. That was the first thing I thought and the only thing I thought," Cobb said.
Dale Mingilton, president of the Denver-Boulder BBB chapter, told CBS4 the email is not from the BBB and he advises strongly not to open it.
Mingilton says his office has started to see a "flood of emails" that are targeting both accreditted and non-accredited businesses.
"If it opens up and it starts asking you or prodding for personal information that's another sign to get out of it and delete that email as quickly as possible," Mingilton said.
Mingilton said most phishing scams have errors or typos and poor grammar usage. This scam appears to look much more legitimate.
"This one was done very professionally, so it's very deceptive and hard to distinguish," Mingilton said.
Cobb says he's been the victim of a phishing scam before. It attacked his computer system and was a hassle to undo.
"I'm kind suprised I was so easly sucked in on this one," Cobb said.
Additional Resources
The following are the Colorado Better Business Bureaus, set up to help consumers.
Denver/Boulder BBB 1780 S. Bellaire St., #700 Denver, CO 80222 (303) 758-2100www.denver.bbb.org
Mountain States BBB in Fort Collins 1730 South College Ave, Suite 303 Fort Collins, CO 80525 (800) 564-0370 www.fortcollins.bbb.org
Pikes Peak Region BBB in Colorado Springs 25 North Wahsatch Colorado Springs, CO 80903 (719) 636-1155 www.coloradosprings.bbb.org
Southern Colorado BBB in Pueblo 119 West 6th Street, Suite 203 Pueblo, CO 81003 (719) 542-6464 www.pueblo.bbb.org
