Better Business Bureau

Worrisome trends found by BBB Risk Report

Consumers are chasing an enemy that stays one step ahead. As awareness and education of fraud prevention grows, so do the tricks fraudsters employ. As much as we’d like to think we’re too wise to fall prey to their lies, the numbers show us otherwise.

The final item on a company checklist

What’s your mental checklist when you start a new job?

Romance or trickery? Stay safe after Valentine’s Day

We’ve seen it everywhere the past few weeks. Red and white has painted the interiors of every store. The chocolate aisles suddenly grew three times larger, and little hearts showed up on nearly every cupcake, cookie and pie. Even if you don’t subscribe to the commercialization of Valentine’s Day or the holiday itself, it reminds us of our basic need for love.

Find happiness when building your home

Look around you. Do you see small keys to your happiness?

After you make your home renovation list, check it twice

While Santa makes his list and checks it twice, so do homeowners staring down a renovation project. There are many checklists homeowners must complete to get their projects started and finished efficiently, with sub-lists for each company the homeowner must deal with throughout the process. When it comes to these businesses, you must do a lot of research to ensure you’re choosing the right ones.

Shopping safely: Get the most out of Black Friday

The holiday season is upon us, and as many firm up their travel plans, set up their decorations, and gather lists of wanted gifts from friends and family, there’s a date to be mindful of before December hits.

Know where to turn when you need advice

As a consumer, it is hard to know where to turn for reliable information. The web is full of blogs, advertisements and scam artists, all vying for your eyes on their content. Some bloggers are simply trying to help, others have been paid to look like they’re giving honest reviews. Some websites are neutral but provide information that’s not exactly pertinent to your location or situation. Even with powerful search engines, finding an answer is not as easy as it seems.

Looking for a contractor? Be sure to check with the BBB first

Our homes are our sanctuaries. They can give us peace of mind after a long day, a place to celebrate milestones, and simply a space to brighten our moods daily. But our efforts to maintain or improve these spaces can quickly turn into nightmares if we’re not careful.

Help your community by recycling your old and unwanted computers

Behind the scenes of our busy society is a network of non-profit organizations, working diligently to change the lives of our friends, families and neighbours. We rarely see them, but the impacts they make ripple out to better our cities and towns for all of us. The new immigrant parents across the street may be going to Altered Minds in the evening to learn English so they can use their skills and knowledge to help their community and provide for their children. Your child’s friend who keeps getting tossed around from foster home to foster home and school to school may soon be able to enjoy the stability of family thanks to Fearless R2W.

Old electronics collecting dust? Safe and eco-friendly event offers free solution

We all have it. That one drawer in our desk or shelf at home that’s chalk-full of our old and unwanted electronics. A computer that works at about half a turtle’s speed, a hard drive you accidentally spilled coffee on, and some old USBs with who-knows-what on them. This collection continues to grow as you promise yourself you’ll deal with it when you have the time. Yet you never have the time. And when we do, we forget all about it. So it flourishes in dust and darkness.

You can trust a BBB business

It’s a strange contradiction. A departure from what many of us have learned in this era of social media, glam and presentation — every time we’ve walked past the mom-and-pop ice cream shop this summer, the line has nearly circled the block. The shop has about four employees, zero social media accounts and a website that looks like it was built (and last updated) in 1998.

Beware a new online shopping scam

There’s considerable risk when it comes to peer-to-peer selling on sites like Facebook Marketplace or Kijiji. Many of us know that, acknowledge it, and take necessary precautions to avoid the inherent danger that comes with meeting and making a deal with a complete stranger. Meet them in the daylight? Check. Bring along a friend? Check. Use a payment app to ensure you have the money before they drive away with your product? Check.

You may have checked every item on the safety list, and still become a victim of fraud. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is tracking a new scam that is catching even the savvy online traders.

Here’s how it works — you post something on Facebook Marketplace. A buyer agrees to purchase it and sends over the money. You receive confirmation from the payment app (in this case, Zelle) that the money is on its way to you, and was sent from the purchaser’s business account. You must upgrade your account to business to receive it. The buyer agrees to pay for your upgrade in order to make the transaction work. They send you screenshots proving the money has been sent and deducted from their account.

Shortly after the deal, the “buyer” becomes persistent that you must pay them back for the business account upgrade. If it’s a big purchase, you may think it’s easier to give in than deal with the complaints, especially since you’ve made a good deal and will still come out on top.

Fighting the scam-riddled marketplace

Don’t walk by yourself in the dark, always take stock of your surroundings, lock your doors as soon as you’re in your car, especially at night.

You’ve heard these safety tips and others from your parents a million times. You may now be passing on the same advice to your children. It’s good advice but we seem to sometimes forget that criminals also await us in the light. Thanks to technology, they can sit at the corner of our everyday activities, hoping to take advantage of their next victims. You could be simply filing your taxes, getting a gift for a friend or family member or responding to flooding in your home. The next thing you know, you’ve been duped out of your hard-earned cash, a stranger has your personal information and water keeps filling your basement.

Avoiding scammers and dishonest businesses can be difficult these days. But it doesn’t have to be. Consumers who depend on the Better Business Bureau get quick and informative answers to their questions — “Can I trust this business?”; “What experiences have others had?”; “Does this site belong to the real company or is in an imitation run by fraudsters?” — all these questions are easily answered by searching the business name on bbb.org or on the BBB ScamTracker. The site houses the most reliable reviews (not ones posted by the business under fake names by predatory competitors) because they’re vetted by the BBB team, and ScamTracker will update you on the latest fraud attempts in your area.

Business owners who have committed to running honest, reliable companies shine through on bbb.org, making it easier to find someone who will get the job done properly at a fair price. BBB-accredited companies are held to higher standards, and must comply with the BBB code in order to keep their accreditation. That code includes being transparent, responsive and safeguarding clients’ privacy. These businesses incorporate the standards of trust into their everyday practices.

Avoid adding stress to stress this May

It’s often listed among the top five most stressful events. It may sound exciting or even relatively straightforward — but moving to a new city or a new home can seriously elevate the anxiety in our lives. The last thing anyone needs during that process is to be taken advantage of. But that’s exactly what’s happening in Canada, as May kicks off the busiest moving season of the year.

Scammers and untrustworthy groups have used the pandemic to sink their teeth into another market — residents moving between provinces. It’s the perfect storm for fraudsters — stressed-out customers, demand for movers, a costly service (and thus a big score) and easily gained control. After all, those who are moving expect to pay hundreds to thousands of dollars to strangers to take all their belongings from one place to another.

That makes it far too easy for dishonest individuals to label themselves a moving company, take your money and steal your possessions. Some groups may be looking to simply make a quick buck by offering a service for less, only to add on numerous fees once they have control of everything you own. Some may go as far as to hold your belongings hostage and demand you pay extra to get it back. They may say your load was overweight, or that they ran into an “unexpected problem” which, in reality, they expected all along.

Others put in less effort all together. They advertise a moving service for less, require a down payment, then never show up.

Watch out for cryptocurrency scams

As with any trend, as it rises, so do the people looking to take advantage of it. Unfortunately, when it comes to cryptocurrency, those people are taking direct aim at your money. In fact, reports of cryptocurrency scams have more than tripled over the past three years, according to numbers from the Better Business Bureau. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre has noticed a similar trend, noting losses skyrocketed from $8.3 million in 2019 to $75 million in 2021.

As more people understand what cryptocurrency is (a digital payment system that allows anyone to send and receive funds, which can be cashed out into traditional money), more have gotten into the game. But there are still many misconceptions and unknowns for those eager to buy and trade cryptocurrency, making them prime targets for scammers.

A common trick has been setting up online platforms that mimic reputable cryptocurrency apps. For example, fraudsters set up a site called “phanton.com” to imitate the legitimate crypto site found at “phantom.com.” Once users set up a wallet in a fake-but realistic-looking site, they unknowingly transfer their funds straight into a scammer’s wallet.

Another common scam preys on even the most savvy crypto traders by getting them to invest in fake tokens or coins. Tokens are new projects that users can trade their currency for, expecting the investment to grow. Unfortunately, it is all too easy to create fake tokens and fool consumers into buying them. The Squid Game rug pull is a recent example of this, where fraudulent developers created a token they claimed could be used in play-to-earn games, then traded for other types of cryptocurrencies. They called it Squid Game to capitalize on the success of the popular Netflix series. After the value rose exponentially, to the glee of its investors, it abruptly disappeared. The creators took an estimated $3.3 million while making it difficult for investors to take their money out at any time.

Springing into your next home project?

The snow melts, the grass turns green and flowers begin to bloom. After a long, cold winter, spring is ever-welcome this year. Alongside nature’s renewal, homeowners often use this time to complete a renewal of their own. Home renovations are especially popular and, whether you’re looking at a new kitchen or a painting project, it’s buyer beware in the current climate.

Scammers often take advantage of those looking for professional services. They may raise project costs halfway through the job, take your down payment then never show up, do a “rush job” or use poor quality products without your knowledge.

While some are pure fraudsters pretending to be professionals, others are simply looking to widen their profit margin at your expense. Either way, you can protect yourself with a few simple tips from the Better Business Bureau.

First of all, be wary of any company that approaches you for work, claiming they’ve been working in the neighbourhood on another project and have leftover supplies. They may try to hook you with the promise of a deal, since it would cost them less to transport that supplies to a closer location, but this can also be a red flag, a sign of a scammer.

Protect yourself this fraud prevention month

First, second or third? Which link do you tend to click after typing something into your favourite search engine?

Your choice likely has less to do with the link order but more with the look of each link title and subtext. Some links appear legitimate, while others are clearly not what you’re looking for. Most of us don’t spend too much time analyzing, though, as doing an online search is a small and regular task in our busy days.

But this is where scammers take advantage of unsuspecting surfers. They lurk near the surface of online searches, waiting for people to click on the second link instead of the third. The trouble is, that second link may take you to a website that exactly mimics the real one.

That’s what happened to a Calgary woman looking for Hoka shoes. The only difference between the fake site and the real one was the final three letters in the url. The consumer bought a pair of hiking boots, only to later discover the site was fake. The boots never showed up, despite another fake email stating they had been delivered, and the scammers had her credit card information, name, contact information and home address. She wisely cancelled the card and alerted BBB to the ploy.

A ‘window of opportunity’ we can’t miss

It’s often not until later in life that we begin to appreciate some of the skills we learned as children and teens. We may also recognize life skills we missed out on. While it’s never too late to teach an old dog new tricks, there are times in our lives when learning is most effective.

Researchers at Harvard University have identified the best “windows of opportunity” for skill building — early childhood and adolescence. They say these times are optimal for giving youth the abilities they need to navigate their various commitments (work, school, relationships) successfully. At the core, these abilities are comprised of planning, focus, self-control, awareness and flexibility.

In other words, they say young people should learn how to set and meet goals, concentrate on what’s most important, control how they respond to their emotions and situations, recognize other people and the bigger picture around them, and adapt to changing circumstances. When youth learn these skills and integrate them into their daily routines, they create habits that will serve them for the rest of their lives.

Therefore, the opportunities for youth to gain and cultivate these areas are of great importance. Harvard experts say this learning involves helping teens problem-solve with real-life situations, spot and plan for triggers, take other people’s view of stressors and focus on personally motivating goals. All these pillars of learning are encapsulated in the BBB Foundation LIFT certificate program. It teaches participants how to engage in ethical decision-making, another core skill of successful and community-minded individuals. As the program takes youth through the path to becoming ethical decision-makers, it builds up their planning, focus, self-control, awareness and flexibility in the Harvard-recommended ways.  

BBB helps businesses revolutionize marketplace

In a world seemingly overrun by corporate greed, there are companies quietly working to revolutionize traditional business models. They’re different from the core. That’s because they centre their business around social responsibility, which is incorporated into their business strategy. Their decisions must centre around a common-good goal, such as reducing waste, poverty or illness.

This is more than a one-off feel-good campaign. These are businesses committed to improving the world around them. That goal is ingrained in the company’s existence and purpose.  

Take CVS, for example. The largest pharmacy chain in the U.S. stopped selling cigarettes in 2014, as it took a stand for Americans’ health. It also launched programs to help smokers quit. That choice cost CVS $2 billion in tobacco sales in the first year, but helped the company rethink its purpose and remodel its business with a health-first perspective. That led to a sizeable jump in revenue, and increased social responsibility. CVS has now reached 13 million youth with education on tobacco use and committed $50 million over five years to helping people live tobacco-free lives.

There are also many clothing brands that were built with environmental sustainability in mind. The products are made in cleaner fashion, business executives play key roles in green groups, and a portion of their profits are set aside to further environmental initiatives. These businesses are finding markets to thrive in, thanks to consumers who are becoming increasingly socially conscious. Nearly 90 per cent of consumers said they would switch brands to one that is associated with a good cause if the products are of a similar price and quality.

Sometimes we need to take the long way

“What’s the shortest way to get there?”

We ask ourselves that question, consciously or subconsciously, on a daily basis. We want to be more efficient in our work, save time in our texts (thank you, abbreviations), and take the fastest route to the grocery store.

In our pursuit of efficiency, many of us do not want to sacrifice quality for speed but it’s actually a natural human process. Our mind uses shortcuts to race through all the information we have stored to form opinions, make decisions, and respond to situations.

While these mental shortcuts are helpful in many cases, they can also make us jump to unfair conclusions.

Visit the BBB at the Renovation Show

A new year, a new kitchen?

As Winnipeggers tackle their biggest home improvement projects in 2022, many will flock to the Winnipeg Renovation Show at RBC Convention Centre from Feb. 18 to 20. It’s an exciting time for consumers to find the businesses that will help them create the interior design they’ve always dreamed of, and it’s a good opportunity for local businesses to show their community how they can serve them.

It’s also the right time to connect with the Better Business Bureau, which will have a booth at the Renovation Show. The BBB wants all consumers to have positive experiences when making a big purchase such as a home renovation. Therefore, they encourage you to research a company on www.bbb.org before doling out your hard-earned cash. The BBB keeps reliable reviews, expert investigations, and other need-to-know information on businesses so that you can be a better-informed customer.

This process allows honest, reputable companies to stand out. They, too, should also visit www.bbb.org to ensure their company profiles are up to date.

Bridging the gap between dreams and careers

There’s a wealth of information all around us that doesn’t exist behind a screen or even in a book. Yet it’s a resource that’s rarely tapped. Each of us is a walking encyclopedias, full of life and career information.

But, unless we know someone, we largely fail to learn from each other. Even more rare is the passing of wisdom and advice from our professional lives, despite the many lessons we’ve learned in our various careers.

But a made-in-Manitoba program is looking to turn on the taps of knowledge, allowing valuable information to flow from field experts to aspiring youth. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Winnipeg is connecting young people between the ages of 14 and 25 to working professionals, giving them twice-a-month access to a person whose steps they hope to follow.

It’s called Big Possibilities, a fitting name for a program that helps young people bring far-away goals into reach, and it’s brought to life through a partnership between the Better Business Bureau and the River East Transcona School Division, with the support of the RBC Future Launch Foundation. Big Possibilities bridges the gap between career aspirations and career paths.

Empowering youth to make big decisions

So much is decided for our young people. Where they will go to school, what they will take, what events they’ll attend, and what they’ll eat for dinner.

When it comes to serious family decisions, they’re often on the outskirts, left to go along with what the adults decide. Much of this is for their own well-being, but how can we help young people cultivate effective decision-making skills when they’ve become accustomed to having choices made for them?

We need to start taking a more deliberate approach to teaching decision-making skills. That means get them thinking seriously about the choices before them — what the options are, what those options may lead to, and how those options would affect themselves and those around them. These are the tenets of good decision-making habits, which will serve as the guideposts for each young person’s path in life.

Youth practise these habits through games, sports and general play. Team games get them thinking about how to work together and use the tools and skills available to them to achieve the desired outcome: to win.

The complex work behind successful brands

Success is rarely achieved overnight. You’ve likely heard something like that before. It’s popular because it’s true. Even those who seem to quickly rise to fame have put time, energy and work behind their craft before their ‘eureka’ moments.

The mantra rings even louder when it comes to business. Creating a brand consumers will love takes more than a fancy design and commitment to a good product. In a saturated marketplace, entrepreneurs must carefully and methodically research, analyze and create.

The first and perhaps most important step is to complete a competitor analysis. In other words, you must research the companies with whom you’ll be competing for sales. You should undertake a thorough investigation into their marketing and business strategies, what’s working for them and what isn’t, who their audience is, and trends or gaps in the market.

In order to do this, you can first look at your business plan. What are your products, goals, strengths, weaknesses and reputable values? Once you start answering these questions for your own brand, you can better understand that of your competitors’.