BBB Scam Alert: Businesses report phishing attempt impostoring BBB

Scammers often pretend to be BBB to steal information and money from unsuspecting businesses and/or consumers. BBB impostor scams can take on many forms. 
 
Canadian Businesses report that a phishing email pretending to be from the “compliance department” asks for sensitive business information, such as a business license/Articles of Incorporation (or other government-issued certificate), tax documents, operating licence, insurance, and other items.  

Quick summary of this scam: 

• Canadian businesses are receiving emails that appear to be from BBB, but they are impostors
• The fake emails ask businesses for sensitive information, such as tax documents and business licences
• If businesses receive these emails, do NOT reply or click on links or attachments and report it to your local BBB.

Look for these red flags to avoid a BBB impostor scam. 

• Do NOT click on any links or attachments 

• Read the email carefully for signs that it may be fake (for example, misspellings, grammar, generic greetings such as "Dear member" instead of a name, etc.) 

• Be wary of any urgent instructions to take specified action, such as "Click on the link or your account will be closed." 

• Hover your mouse over links without clicking to see if the address is truly from BBB.org. The URL in the text should match the URL that your mouse detects. If the two do not match, it is most likely a scam. 

• When reporting the fraudulent email, it is important to include the suspicious email as an attachment in your communication and forward your email with the suspicious email as an attachment to [email protected]. (Note: This address is only for scams that use the BBB name or logo.) 

• Delete the email from your computer completely (be sure to empty your "trash can" or "recycle bin," as well). 

• Run anti-virus software updates frequently and do a full system scan. 

• Keep a close eye on your bank statements for any unexpected or unexplained transactions. 

Please report this and other scams to BBB’s Scam Tracker. 

Read more about BBB impostor scams.

Below is a screenshot of the email one Canadian BBB Accredited Business received.