Consumers needto be skeptical when reading online reviews of businesses, products and services.

Cornell University reports that many reviews are written by professional writers or even employees who are paid to put a positive spin on a review-or to post bad reviews of competitors. Researchers also found that humans have a hard time distinguishing fake reviews from real ones.

Online banking is a great tool to help small businesses quickly and conveniently track financial information, as well as pay their bills and employees. However, data thieves are now targeting small business owners — and their employees — to get access to their online banking credentials and accounts so that they can make unauthorized money transfers.

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BBB is cautioning businesses and consumers about an email that is purporting to come from BBB.

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The Grandparent Scam takes a scary new twist.

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We have received calls from two different consumers on two different possible phone scams.

Phone scam #1: Collections Court Action
In this instance the consumer received a threatening phone call from a man that claimed the consumer had a court action filed against him. The caller gave a legitimate sounding file number for the court action as proof. The caller claimed that the matter was in regards to a loan of $4000 in the consumer’s name that had not been paid. The caller told the consumer, in a rather aggressive tone, that he would be arrested if he did not pay the loan promptly as per the court action. The caller then proceeded to make a claim that for $250 and the consumers Social Insurance Number, that he could stop the warrant for arrest.

Protect Yourself: If you receive a similar call to this one please contact the BBB of Vancouver Island with additional information about the content of the call (250.386.6348) If you legitimately had a court action filed against you in regards to an unpaid loan, you would likely have been informed, prior to this phone call, about the matter. They key red flags that this is a scam include the aggressive approach of the caller, the threat that a warrant for arrest could be stopped with a payment, and the request for a Social Insurance Number.

If you are concerned for some reason that there is an unpaid loan out there in your name, it would be wise to check your credit report (with Equifax or TransUnion) to see if there are any unknown loans on your file. Besides informing the BBB it would also be wise for you to inform your local police and to contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (1 (888) 495-8501) to report a call such as this.


Phone scam #2: BBB Business to Consumer Complaint
Consumer received a phone call with very broken up reception from a person claiming to be a representative of the BBB. The supposed BBB representative stated that BC Hydro was filing a business to consumer complaint, against the consumer because they did not accept and pay for the delivery of a BC Hydro energy savings device that was ordered. The consumers had no recollection of every ordering such a product and had not denied the delivery of such a product. The caller was aggressive and persistent and eventually hung up after the consumer began asking for further information.

Protect Yourself: If you receive a similar call to this one please contact the BBB of Vancouver Island with additional information about the content of the call (250.386.6348). Note that the BBB does not process complaints from businesses against consumers. If a company has a problem with the delivery of a product and payment of a customer, the business will most likely take the matter to a debt collection agency or to court.

Sidney RCMP is warning Peninsula businesses to be aware of a fraudster possibly operating in the area

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The BBB serving east Texas has alerted us of a scam that is plaguing local hotels and their guests, and while we haven’t received any local reports, we wanted to apprise you of the situation.

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The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) has received reports of a phishing scam, using images from the CIRA website, which is designed to collect personal information, including credit card numbers.

This is a targeted phishing attack. CIRA wishes to advise you that CIRA does not ask for credit card information, as all registrations are performed through .CA certified Registrars. If you have provided your credit card information to this site, CIRA strongly advise that you contact your credit card company or bank immediately.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Registration Support at info@cira.ca or by telephone at 1-877-860-1411.

The world's largest permission-based email marketing service, Epsilon, reported a breach in its security this past Friday.

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It really couldn't be more timely. March is Fraud Prevention Month and right in the middle of BBB and Victoria Police Department spreading tips on protecting yourself from scams, we hear about the influx of frauds as a result of the Japan Earthquake/Tsumani disaster.

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If you haven't heard already BBB has teamed up with Victoria Police Department for Fraud Prevention Month

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So many people I talk to are planning trips abroad. If you are thinking about doing the same, read the following tips.

You will be amazed at the ingenuity involved in some of the scams. 

Notice how the con artists try to catch you off-guard.

• Family member call scam. You receive a call in your hotel room prompting you to call a specific number to get details about a family member in distress. Unknowingly, you call the Caribbean or Africa. Subsequently, your phone bill will reflect a charge of possibly hundreds of dollars.
• Diverting your attention scams. The thieves could spill ice cream on your shoes and/or squirt mustard, ketchup or water on you. They “help” you clean up and at the same time another thief will snatch your handbag, wallet or suitcase. They may also bump you and at the same time pick your pocket. Keep your wallet close to you and hang onto your purse.
• Police uniform con. Crooks in police uniforms approach you and show a phony badge. Next, they request to see your wallet for identification or to check the wallet for counterfeit money. If you hand over your wallet, it is gone forever!

While telemarketing is a legitimate and important industry in Canada, it is also an industry rife with frauds and deceptive practices. Unfortunately many telemarketers often are unaware that the company they are working for is engaged in deceptive practices.

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Valentine's Day is a day of romance and expressions of love, but it’s also a time for scam artists to take advantage and break a heart. If you're not careful you could fall victim to a Valentine's Day scam.

Valentine’s Phishing Scams

As February 14^th approaches, we expect notes of love to arrive in our mailboxes. Cyber-crooks are well aware of this and use this time of year to trick those who are “love-struck” into divulging their personal and financial information. One email claims to be from a flower company and indicates the flowers you ordered for your sweetheart won’t be delivered unless you log in and re-enter your credit card information. A significant number of these messages will reach people that have actually ordered flowers, and no one wants their loved one to think they've forgotten them on Valentine's Day! If you click the link in that email and enter your credit card information you could have a real problem once you get your next statement. Even if you think a message like this is real, go directly to the florist's website or call them on the phone.

Online Dating Scams

As Valentine's Day approaches many singles turn to online dating websites to find true love. What many find is a broken heart. Scam artists often create fake profiles designed to match a certain kind of person. Once they make contact with you the scam begins. Whether you are talking in a chat room, through instant messages, or emails it slowly becomes clear that you've hit the jackpot. This new person you've met is perfect in every way. They have the same likes and dislikes as you and most importantly, they really dig you. The cybercriminal gains your trust, and then attempts to “meet you.” However, your true love won't have enough money for the trip and will need you to wire funds for a plane ticket. This often involves mail order bride scams, or a scam where you wire a “soldier” money for military leave. This is a very old and common scam.

Valentine’s Day eCard Scam

Be careful opening eCards on the web! In the case of the Valentine’s Day eCard scam, and email directs the receiver to a fake website that looks a lot like Hallmark or American Greetings. The site prompts the receiver of the card to download the latest version of Flash Player, in order to view the card. Once the love-struck receiver of the card installs the software, their computer is taken over with a Trojan, which is a program that can give someone (besides the user) full access to a computer and all of the files on it. Pay attention when you click on links, be sure the web address you are going to is the correct one, and in this case, the email doesn’t state a name – it is generic – which is another sign that this could be a scam and it could have gone out to millions of people.

Christmas displays are going up in stores, shoppers are making their lists and scammers are plotting ways to steal your money this holiday season, according to internet security firm McAfee.

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Aspiring models should be wary of modeling agencies that charge upfront for head shots or promise high-paying opportunities that require little work, warns BBB. "Even if the agency tells you that you have 'the look', always take the time to do your research and don't fall for empty promises," said BBB's Rosalind Scott. More from bbb.org.

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