BBB has issued numerous warnings about a malicious e-mail that continues to circulate in BBB's name, but the scammers have added a new twist to this scheme by targeting accountants.
Specifically, accountants are receiving emails from a BBB.org address that contains the American Institute of CPA's name and logo. The message informs recipients that their CPA license is being terminated due to tax fraud allegations and encourages them to click on a link and reply to the charges. The link leads to a third party website that downloads a virus on to the recipient's computer.
BBB also continues to receive calls from local businesses that have received a suspicious e-mail coming from a variety of addresses, such as risk@bbb.org, service@bbb.org, or risk.manager@bbb.org with the subject line "BBB Service Re: Complaint #" followed by an eight to nine-digit number. Both BBB Accredited and non-Accredited businesses have been targeted.
Because these messages are malicious and fraudulent, BBB advises any business that receives these e-mails to take the following steps:
Forward the message to phishing@council.bbb.org,
Completely delete the message from your inbox, and
Run a full virus scan on your computer if you clicked on any links.
If you receive any e-mails from BBB about a complaint filed against your business and need assistance in determining whether or not it is legitimate, contact your BBB directly at 615.242.4222.
For more advice on how to protect your business from malicious online attacks and data breaches visit www.bbb.org/data-security
