Better Business Bureaus across the country are receiving reports of a new scam on Craigslist that deceives buyers by falsely claiming BBB accreditation and participation in a phony buyer’s protection program. BBB warns that there is no such thing as a BBB Purchase Protection Program and any online seller claiming participation in this program is scamming customers.
In addition to misuse online, the BBB regularly finds businesses that place the BBB logo in Yellow Page ads although the business has no affiliation with the Better Business Bureau and may not meet BBB standards. For example, a consumer reported this week that she chose a gutter company because the business had the BBB logo in their Yellow Page ad. In truth, the business has an “F” rating with the BBB due to an unanswered customer complaint.
“BBB wants consumers to put trust in the BBB logo and the Standards for Trust that businesses must meet and abide by to use the logo,” said Charlie Mattingly, president of the BBB serving Louisville, Southern Indiana and Western Kentucky. “But it’s better to check directly with the BBB, at www.bbb.org, to get a current BBB report on the company. The great majority of companies are honest about their BBB status, as well as other matters. But there are always some ‘shady operators’ who won’t tell the truth. ‘Trust but verify’ is always a good policy.”
BBB has received reports from consumers from coast to coast who were shopping for items on Craigslist—such as golf bags and strollers—and came across an ad claiming that the seller was accredited by BBB. After inquiring about the item, the buyer received an e-mail from the seller. The e-mail explained that the seller was accredited by BBB and that they were a participant in the BBB Protection Program. This supposed program would protect the buyer should they not receive the items they paid for.
In truth, there is no such thing as a BBB Protection Program. Not only are these scammers lying about being accredited by BBB, but they also fraudulently use the BBB logo on their Web sites, overstockshop.biz and overstocksales.org, and have stolen images from the BBB Web site to mimic the layout and design used by BBB.
The scamming sellers use more than a dozen names including, Emma Lawley, Hollie West, Claudia Curtis, Mallory Downs, Stephanie Bradford, Elizabeth Stanford, Kristine Gilmore, and Linda Koller and have even gone so far as to create a fake BBB reliability report for each phony identity which is linked from—and hosted on—the scammer’s Web sites.
BBB contacted the Web hosting company of overstockshop.biz which suspended the scammer’s site. Since then, the scammers have set up shop at overstocksales.org and BBB is taking steps to have that site taken down as well.
BBB offers the following advice for verifying a company’s accreditation:
- Businesses will often post the BBB Accredited Seal on their Web site to show customers that they meet and uphold BBB’s standards. To verify accreditation, consumers should click on the BBB logo which will redirect them to either a confirmation page or the company’s reliability report hosted on the BBB Web site.
- Don’t just take a business’s word for it. Visit www.bbb.org and review the BBB Reliability Report and rating from BBB, as well as additional information on the business’s management and complaint history.
- Consumers who believe a business is fraudulently claiming BBB accreditation should notify their BBB and file a complaint either via letter, online at www.bbb.org or over the phone.
For more advice on how to avoid scams online and find trustworthy businesses, visit www.bbb.org.