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Phony Callers Claim to be from BBB; Target Local Businesses

1/14/2011

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Phony Callers Claim to be from BBB; Target Local Businesses

BBB Not Affiliated With Incoming Calls Displaying Unknown Number

BBB serving Central, Coastal and Southwest Texas is warning local businesses of phony calls coming from unknown numbers claiming to be from BBB. BBB offices have received several complaints where callers claiming to be BBB employees are aggressively asking business owners to verify and update their company contact information. Other complaints allege the caller is requiring the call be recorded while business owners stated they were authorized to make changes on the phone service. BBB confirms that these calls are not from your Better Business Bureau, and the source and purpose of the calls are unknown.

This week, BBB heard from a telecommunications firm in Austin that received an out-of-state call supposedly from the Better Business Bureau. The caller was requesting the owner of the business to update the firm’s mailing address and requiring the recording of the conversation. The caller also insisted on sending SEO marketing materials to the business owner. When the business owner refused to verify the mailing address, declined the marketing materials and hung up the phone, the caller allegedly called back and adamantly requested the business owners’ cooperation.

Similar calls have been reported across North America throughout the BBB system. The calls are nearly identical in nature, all claiming to be from BBB employees and all asking for address verification.

While BBB does frequently make outbound calls to businesses to verify information and update reports, BBB advises businesses to proceed with caution when it comes to calls from unknown numbers. All genuine calls from BBB will be verifiable with a working phone number that is displayed on caller-id. In addition, each BBB caller will always state their name, along with the purpose of the call. BBB will never ask to record a phone conversation.

If you receive a suspicious phone call claiming to be from Better Business Bureau, seeking to update records and/or using high-pressure sales tactics, please call your local BBB at 858-637-6199 to verify the legitimacy of the call.
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