Garrett M. Vonk (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} gvonkuga) wrote,@ 2003-01-29 08:00:00 |
|
Company Tries to mimic Better Business Bureau Web Site
From The Post-Standard
Privacy is paramount to online security today. With numerous reputable third-party licensing and trust organizations in business today, it’s not difficult to provide adequate privacy on your web site if you know where to look.
Parker Jennings, a fraudulent investment company, capitalized on this trust by setting up a site that mimicked the Better Business Bureau’s site. The Better Business Bureau, or BBB, has for years been the source for consumers to get information on a company with whom the consumer is unfamiliar. When a visitor initiates a search on the BBB site, the company name is linked to a database of nearly every company in the nation. Along with the simple business information, the site reports any customer experiences that people have relayed to the BBB. Based on bad reports, the visitor to the site can then decide not to do business with the company or just to be wary of any potential hazards.
The fraudulent web site was built to match the original Bureau web site exactly, with one exception: Instead of the current report for Parker Jennings(which warns consumers of the firm’s misdeeds, the fake web site listed the company as a member with a satisfactory record and no registered complaints. The company then “urged” consumers to invest between $5,000 and $20,000 using the Parker Jennings advising services. And many did invest in the fraudulent company.
Since the time and effort involved in setting up the fake web site are quite extensive, it is not a problem that could easily become widespread. Domain names are quite hard to come by nowadays, and Parker Jennings’ inventive use of “thebbb.us” would be difficult to duplicate with such a small pool of names remaining. However, this case shows the vulnerability that any company with established trust must deal with. That trust can be leveraged against them by scammers who bilk innocent people out of their money on the notion that they can be trusted. These malicious acts hurt not only the parties defrauded, but also the general component of trust necessary for the BBB and other licensing organizations to survive.
At this point, the fraudulent web site has been taken down. The state Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission both got involved and quickly brought down Parker Jennings and are investigating fraud charges against the company. The Better Business Bureau urges consumers to visit their web site before making a decision about an unknown company.
From The Post-Standard
Privacy is paramount to online security today. With numerous reputable third-party licensing and trust organizations in business today, it’s not difficult to provide adequate privacy on your web site if you know where to look.
Parker Jennings, a fraudulent investment company, capitalized on this trust by setting up a site that mimicked the Better Business Bureau’s site. The Better Business Bureau, or BBB, has for years been the source for consumers to get information on a company with whom the consumer is unfamiliar. When a visitor initiates a search on the BBB site, the company name is linked to a database of nearly every company in the nation. Along with the simple business information, the site reports any customer experiences that people have relayed to the BBB. Based on bad reports, the visitor to the site can then decide not to do business with the company or just to be wary of any potential hazards.
The fraudulent web site was built to match the original Bureau web site exactly, with one exception: Instead of the current report for Parker Jennings(which warns consumers of the firm’s misdeeds, the fake web site listed the company as a member with a satisfactory record and no registered complaints. The company then “urged” consumers to invest between $5,000 and $20,000 using the Parker Jennings advising services. And many did invest in the fraudulent company.
Since the time and effort involved in setting up the fake web site are quite extensive, it is not a problem that could easily become widespread. Domain names are quite hard to come by nowadays, and Parker Jennings’ inventive use of “thebbb.us” would be difficult to duplicate with such a small pool of names remaining. However, this case shows the vulnerability that any company with established trust must deal with. That trust can be leveraged against them by scammers who bilk innocent people out of their money on the notion that they can be trusted. These malicious acts hurt not only the parties defrauded, but also the general component of trust necessary for the BBB and other licensing organizations to survive.
At this point, the fraudulent web site has been taken down. The state Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission both got involved and quickly brought down Parker Jennings and are investigating fraud charges against the company. The Better Business Bureau urges consumers to visit their web site before making a decision about an unknown company.
