# Latest email scam starts with "Start with Trust" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 4, 2012, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-email-scam-starts-with-start-with-trust/636729 "2012-10-04T18:43:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-email-scam-starts-with-start-with-trust/636729/1 "2012-10-04T18:43:57Z")
I’m no longer surprised by the evil cleverness of pfishers and scammers, but this just arrived in my mailbox, addressed to someone not-me, supposedly from “BBB \”. The first clue that something was afoot was the message,\* above an elaborate HTML display\*, that said, “Your email does not support HTML. To see this message, click here.” Below was the Better Business Bureau logo and the phrase, “Start with Trust.” Here’s the body of the message (I have removed 4 links, all of which don’t go to where you expect): > [@](#): > > RE: Case #57663585 > > Hello Sirs, > > The Better Business Bureau has got the above mentioned complaint from one of your associates in respect of their dealings with you. The details of the consumer’s concern are presented in attached document. Please open this problem and inform us about your position as soon as possible. We kindly ask you to open the ATTACHED REPORT to reply on this case. > > We are looking forward to your prompt response. > > Faithfully yours, > > Anni Kobsch > Dispute Counselor > Better Business Bureau > OPEN ATTACHED REPORT: Case #57663585 > > Council of Better Business Bureaus > 3033 Wilson Blvd, Suite 600 Arlington, VA 22201 > Phone: 1 (703) 276.0100 Fax: 1 (703) 525.8277 Googling for some of the specific phrases like the case number or “Anni Kobsch” was not fruitful, so the scammer is generating it on the fly. Note the tortured Nigerian-English in the message. At the [REAL BBB site](http://www.bbb.org/blog/top-scams-of-2011.html) (scroll to the bottom) is a list of scams and this one is called “Top Scam of The Year!” They say, “Clicking on the link or attachment downloads malware that finds your bank info and transfers money.” Sweet. So beware! ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-email-scam-starts-with-start-with-trust/636729/2 "2012-10-04T19:55:14Z")
There is a tenth circle of hell for e-mail scammers and malware developers, I just haven’t figured out the appropriate poetic punishment yet. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-email-scam-starts-with-start-with-trust/636729/3 "2012-10-04T20:06:55Z")
‘Council of Better Business Bureaus’? A **whole council** of them? That sounds serious! ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-email-scam-starts-with-start-with-trust/636729/4 "2012-10-04T20:32:59Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > They say, “Clicking on the link or attachment downloads malware that finds your bank info and transfers money.” How does that work? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-email-scam-starts-with-start-with-trust/636729/5 "2012-10-04T20:34:52Z")
> [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](#): > > ‘Council of Better Business Bureaus’? A **whole council** of them? That sounds serious! That part is true. Apparently the regional bureaus make up [The Council.](http://www.bbb.org/us/cbbb/) The address and phone numbers on the scam are legitimate, copied from the real site. None of the links go there, however. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-email-scam-starts-with-start-with-trust/636729/6 "2012-10-04T20:37:36Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > How does that work? I imagine, once installed in your computer, it looks for anything that can be connected with finance. Oddly, just before I got that email, I had accessed my bank account online, and I wonder if anything was left in RAM or in a cache or history somewhere that might lead them to the bank and possibly the account login info. I’m not worried because I didn’t fall for it, but it’s sobering thought that I came that close. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-email-scam-starts-with-start-with-trust/636729/7 "2012-10-04T21:32:41Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I imagine, once installed in your computer, it looks for anything that can be connected with finance. Oddly, just before I got that email, I had accessed my bank account online, and I wonder if anything was left in RAM or in a cache or history somewhere that might lead them to the bank and possibly the account login info. > > I’m not worried because I didn’t fall for it, but it’s sobering thought that I came that close. But, it couldn’t do anything if it didn’t have your acct number or password, right? ---
**Author:** ![Weedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/weedy/32/301_2.png) [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-email-scam-starts-with-start-with-trust/636729/8 "2012-10-04T21:49:17Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > But, it couldn’t do anything if it didn’t have your acct number or password, right? A lot of money management programs can be set up to automatically connect to your bank and download your transaction record. Makes the programs very convenient to use but it could be a security problem here. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-email-scam-starts-with-start-with-trust/636729/9 "2012-10-04T22:45:44Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > That part is true. Apparently the regional bureaus make up [The Council.](http://www.bbb.org/us/cbbb/) Only on the SDMB could I try to be a snarky bastard and end up learning something instead. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-email-scam-starts-with-start-with-trust/636729/10 "2012-10-04T22:49:52Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > But, it couldn’t do anything if it didn’t have your acct number or password, right? That’s the whole point of the malware. If you entered your bank name, number or password EVER in your computer, it might still be there, stored in plaintext, or easily decoded, either in RAM or in a file, possibly a browser work file. That’s what it’s looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-email-scam-starts-with-start-with-trust/636729/11 "2012-10-04T22:57:42Z")
This is a subtle scam. You see “trust” and “Better Business Bureau” appearing together and start laughing so hard that you involuntarily input your Social Security number. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-email-scam-starts-with-start-with-trust/636729/12 "2012-10-04T23:00:10Z")
Perhaps there’s a new batch of bank scams, or maybe I just got on another list, but I just received this (note again the Nigerian-American dialect): > [@](#): > > Please confirm your email address on Wells Fargo. > > To maximize your banking opportunity on Wells Fargo, please confirm the authenticity of your email address and your information > > If you don’t Confirm in the next 24hours you will deleted from our service which can’t be activate back. > > Click the button below to complete your email address confirmation. Obviously, the link is bogus, and I don’t have a Well Fargo account anyway. Wonder how many suckers they caught today. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-email-scam-starts-with-start-with-trust/636729/13 "2012-10-04T23:07:03Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > This is a subtle scam. > > You see “trust” and “Better Business Bureau” appearing together and start laughing so hard that you involuntarily input your Social Security number. It’s a lot like someone emailing you a bogus story and when you say it’s just an old urban legend, they say, indignantly, “But it was checked by snopes!” “How do you know?” _“Because it says, right here at the end, ‘Checked by snopes!’!”_ ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-email-scam-starts-with-start-with-trust/636729/14 "2012-10-04T23:13:07Z")
I just got my very own version today; > [@](#): > > One of your customers has submitted a review of your company. > > The Customer Review has NOT yet been posted in your BBB Business Review. > > You can read the Customer Review and at your option provide a comment by logging into your BBB account. > > Please login and use the link below. > > Stupid scam link removed > > Your BBB ID: 87164 > Your emails is: not my email > > All Customer Reviews are posted after one full business day. > > Note:You can login to your BBB account and submit a comment to any Customer Review at any time. > > Thank you. > > Questions? > BBB > 30 East 33rd St., 12th Floor > New York, NY 10016 > 212.533.6200 > Email ID: bcebfb9b > To confirm this email please login it at ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-email-scam-starts-with-start-with-trust/636729/15 "2012-10-04T23:42:41Z")
Looks like a variation of [this.](http://blog.mxlab.eu/2012/09/24/) Or [this.](http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/b/BBB-SCAM.htm) Or [this.](http://madisonwinex.blogspot.com/2012/10/bbb-read-your-customer-review.html) ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-email-scam-starts-with-start-with-trust/636729/16 "2012-10-05T10:16:06Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > How does that work? The malware is typically a key-logger and some code that watches your internet activity. When you log into your online banking it captures your userid and password and sends it to a server the bad guys control. They then log into your online banking and empty your account. Another version will install an invisible plugin into your browser to steal the session cookie created when you log into your account. The bad guys then use the cookie to create a duplicate session and empty your account. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-email-scam-starts-with-start-with-trust/636729/17 "2012-10-05T12:10:46Z")
> [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](#): > > ‘Council of Better Business Bureaus’? A **whole council** of them? That sounds serious! Somebody call Axel Foley. He’s from the Council of Better Business Bureau Affairs Special Taskforce Bureau Department of Extraordinary…er…Councils, that’s what he’s from and if you want to take it up with them that’s your problem, man, but I wouldn’t recommend it because these people don’t fuck around when it comes to people like you wasting their time with pointless calls now OPEN THE EMAIL. ---
**Author:** ![slalexan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@slalexan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slalexan)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-email-scam-starts-with-start-with-trust/636729/18 "2012-10-05T13:53:16Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Faithfully yours, > > > > Anni Kobsch Whoa! Isn’t that a weird way to end a business email? I don’t know this Anni person and I don’t think I want them to be faithfully mine. Is this what you use if you are having an office affair? This alone would make me delete the email with disgust. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-email-scam-starts-with-start-with-trust/636729/19 "2012-10-05T13:54:20Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > It’s a lot like someone emailing you a bogus story and when you say it’s just an old urban legend, they say, indignantly, “But it was checked by snopes!” > > “How do you know?” > > _“Because it says, right here at the end, ‘Checked by snopes!’!”_ My aunt sent me one of those once. It had a picture with some (rather stupid) words on a sign someone was holding\*\*\*\*\*. The email said ‘Checked by snopes’, but I didn’t believe it, so I checked snopes. _They_ had the exact same picture, except the words on the sign were mocking people for not checking snopes. I downloaded the picture and emailed it back to her. 😃 \*\*\*\*\* I don’t remember what it was about, or I’d have included more details. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-email-scam-starts-with-start-with-trust/636729/20 "2012-10-05T14:49:31Z")
> [@slalexan](#): > > Whoa! Isn’t that a weird way to end a business email? I don’t know this Anni person and I don’t think I want them to be faithfully mine. Is this what you use if you are having an office affair? This alone would make me delete the email with disgust. That’s _de rigueur_ for Nigerian-English. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-email-scam-starts-with-start-with-trust/636729.md?page=2)