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.
Consumers report that they receive an e-mail from the seller that explains they are accredited by the BBB and a participant in the BBB Protection Program. This supposed program would protect the buyer should they not receive the purchased items.
In truth, there is no such thing as a BBB Protection Program. Not only are these scammers lying about being accredited by the 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 that it is linked from — and hosted on — the scammer’s Web sites.
The 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 the BBB is taking steps to have that site taken down as well.
To verify a company’s BBB accreditation, click on the BBB logo, which will redirect you 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
wynco.bbb.org/Find-Business-Reviews/ and review the BBB Reliability Report and rating, 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
odr.bbb.org/odrweb/public/getstarted.aspx?siteID=98, or over the phone.
Start With Trust. For more reliable consumer tips and information, go to
wynco.bbb.org or call 970-484-1348 or 800-564-0371 for reliable consumer tips and information.