In the past several days, the Wisconsin BBB has seen a resurgence of an email virus/worm attack using the BBB name. Potential victims receive an email that appears to be from the BBB regarding a complaint.
The email comes from the address diputes@us.bbb.org (please note the typo in "disputes"). Other than the typographical error, there are other ways to spot these bogus emails. For example, a complaint from the Wisconsin BBB would come from an email address that had a suffix "@wisconsin.bbb.org". In addition, these emails appear to be sent to high level employees within the company, such as CEOs and presidents, and not necessarily those company employees that handle complaints processed by the BBB.
If a business receives one of these emails, first check to see that it is legitimate. Was the complainant, whose name is referenced in the subject line of the emails, a customer of the business? If the email doesn't appear to be legitimate, the BBB urges businesses to delete it.
If you have any questions about the legitimacy of a complaint email that appears to be from the BBB, please call the Wisconsin BBB at 414-847-6000 (in metro Milwaukee), 920-734-4352 (Appleton area) or 800-273-1002 (elsewhere in Wisconsin). Opening it may download spyware and/or a virus onto the recipient's computer.
