The Better Business Bureau has issued an alert to small businesses and consumers about a new phishing scam that uses the “BBB” name to convince recipients of its authenticity.

The email uses the name “BBB” and an email address of operations@bbb.org. The email cites a complaint case number and a hyperlink where recipients of the email are told to download documents relating to the complaint. This actually downloads an executable file that is believed to be a form of computer virus.

A firm in Kennesaw, GA had its computer system hacked and is generating thousands of these counterfeit messages purporting to be from the BBB.

All recipients are advised that any e-mail from the operations@bbb.org address is not coming from any BBB and should be considered counterfeit. The BBB strongly encourages recipients of any such message to delete the message immediately without clicking on the “DOCUMENTS FOR CASE” links.

The phishing e-mail return address of operations@bbb.org does not exist and is being “spoofed.” Spoofing occurs when an e-mail address is altered to appear as if the message originated from a legitimate source. This is a common practice for both spam e-mail and phishing operations.

Go to the Better Business Bureau website for an example of the scam email.

Better Business Bureau

The Federal Trade Commission has released its annual report on fraud complaints filed by consumers. As expected, identity theft tops the list at 36% of all complaints filed. But the actual number of instances of identity theft could be much higher, as for every reported instance and complaint, there may be a dozen others who have been victimized.

Here’s the top 5 listed complaints from the FTC’s Consumer Fraud and Identity Theft Complaint Data report.

1 Identity Theft - 246,035 - 36%
2 Shop-at-Home/Catalog Sales - 46,995 - 7%
3 Prizes/Sweepstakes and Lotteries - 45,587 - 7%
4 Internet Services and Computer - 41,243 - 6%
5 Internet Auctions - 32,832 - 5%

See the full list at The FTC website.

An article at Consumer Affairs.com points to a growing number of financial aid scams targeting college-bound students and their parents. Some of these companies charge high fees for “insider information” about getting financial aid when, in fact, most of these services are offered for free by government agencies, colleges and high schools.

If you are considering applying for government grants, loans or other financial aid, you can also get more information at www.ed.gov.

It’s tax season and a new crop of scammers are “phishing” across the internet. Many scams involve the scammer posing as representatives of the IRS. These scams have a higher success rate than some others. Not everyone receiving a scam email will have a Paypal or Ebay account nor do they bank at a particular financial institution. But everyone pays taxes (with a few exceptions).

Last year’s tax scam is still going strong. The taxpayer receives an email alerting him to a tax refund he is owed and directed to a site where he is asked to input personal information. The scammer then has what he was phishing for.

This year taxpayers are receiving emails stating that the recipient has been selected for an “e-audit”. Again, the purpose of the email is identity theft. The IRS states it does not conduct audits online and has no such program.

The IRS wants taxpayers to know that the IRS does not use e-mail to initiate contact with taxpayers about issues related to their accounts.

These scams are for the sole purpose of collecting sensitive personal identification about the recipient and often ask for social security numbers and credit card numbers. If you receive an email that purports to be from the IRS or if you have any questions regarding contact from the IRS, call 1-800-829-1040 to confirm it.