Beware of fake complaint email coming from seatac@bbb.org

The Better Business Bureau is warning businesses to beware of another malicious email that pretends to be from the BBB about a complaint filed against the company. The most recent email came to the BBB’s attention July 28, 2010.  The previous emails were generated last April.

The phishing email is sent from the address seatac@bbb.org with the subject line “BBB Complaint Case #” followed by a nine-digit number.  Both BBB Accredited and non-Accredited Businesses have been targeted.

The body of the email claims that the company did not respond to a complaint filed by a Jason Harlow (the same name used previously, however other names may be used) and includes a link to a page at www.nm-bbb.org where the business can supposedly review the complaint.

Because the message is fraudulent, the BBB advises any business that receives this email 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 email from the Better Business Bureau about a complaint filed against your business and need assistance in determining whether or not it is legitimate, contact the BBB Serving Western Michigan at (616) 774-8236 or 800-684-3222.

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