An Old Phishing Email Scam Hitting BBB Re-emerges

According to a new warning released by The Better Business Bureau (BBB) in the last week of July 2010, an old phishing e-mail scam (which has been targeting both BBB Accredited and Non-Accredited businesses) has surfaced once again.

The subject line of the phishing e-mail reads "BBB Complaint Case #" followed by a nine-digit number. This e-mail refers to a complaint filed by 'Jason Harlow' a BBB consumer, against a business firm.

The content of the phishing e-mail, which has apparently received by numerous business firms in the US, says that the company did not reply to the complaint filed by Jason Harlow and contained a link to a page at the website www.ca-bbb.org, where the business firms could purportedly review the comment.

The BBB Officials highlighted that if the users clicked the link in the e-mail, personal details and information were compromised.

Further, the BBB Officials elaborated that part of BBB's role in the marketplace was to be a trusted third-party involved in sending correspondence and informing businesses of compliments and complaints from the consumers. It was really demoralizing that someone was trying to trick this system.

As it seems, the BBB reported that many business houses in the US together with law firms, architecture firms and advertising agencies had reported of receiving this fake phishing e-mail.

As the message is fraudulent, the BBB suggests that whosoever receives this e-mail should take the following steps: First and foremost, do not click on any of the links or reply to the message; Secondly users are recommended to delete the message completely from their inbox without opening it; and lastly run a full virus scan on their computers if they have clicked on the link attached with the phishing email.

If there are any other doubts regarding e-mail authenticity and validity, business firms are advised to visit the BBB or call them on their public lines or write them at their main e-mail address to check the genuineness of the e-mail received.

Meanwhile, it is worth noted that the BBB released a warning about the same phishing e-mail in April 2010 as well.

Related article: An Internet Hack That Lasted 12 Hours

» SPAMfighter News - 8/7/2010