To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

The national network of Better Business Bureaus has been helping consumers and businesses resolve problems for 99 years. Longevity and credibility make a notice or correspondence from the BBB something to take very seriously.

That’s apparently what scammers are hoping to take advantage of with a new email circulating nationwide. It says “Better Business Bureau,” sounds like them, and even lists a complaint number. But the fact is, it's not a BBB document.

“BBB will send out complaints via email to companies but never as an attachment, and that’s what’s happening here. When they click on the link, it’s a malicious link,” says Claire Rosenzweig of the BBB.

It’s not just limited to businesses. Many individuals are getting the email, including News 14 Carolina’s Asa Aarons.

If it shows up in your email box, it’s best to delete it. If you already took the bait and tried the link, there's another course of action.

“It could grab information from your computer, so if you should happen to get this and if you do by chance click on it, we strongly recommend you run your antivirus software immediately,” says Rosenzweig.

These things often originate in the murky world of cyber crooks. With nearly a century of building a credible name being damaged by imposters, the BBB is taking this very seriously.

“The Better Business Bureau legal team is working with federal officials to look into how this happened and where this hacking originated,” says Rosenzweig.

For more information, visit BBB.org.