Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona is alerting consumers to a business identity theft scam that is victimizing a Tucson business. Happy Tails Travel, Inc., which specializes in “personalized pet transportation services” for adopted pets, began getting phone calls in February from consumers who claimed they had wired money to Happy Tails with the promise of having a pet delivered to them.

Happy Tails learned through these phone calls that scammers had copied their Web site, and were soliciting business from prospective customers, using the business’ name. The scammers are operating under several fictitious names, including: Flint Pet Shippers, Skilled Pet Shippers, Blink Pet Shippers, and Stratos Pet, Inc.

The callers told the business that the scammers posing as Happy Tails requested that their victims wire the money to them- making it almost impossible for law enforcement to track where the money went.

Copycats not only design similar-looking websites, but will create fraudulent advertisements and solicitations featuring real business names, logos and contact information to cheat consumers under false guises and potentially ruin other businesses’ reputations.

Stolen identity clues include: unusual product or service requests; unfamiliar advertisements posted in directories or online; and unwarranted complaint reports filed by unknown customers.

BBB urges any consumers who are solicited by these companies, or a company who claims to be Happy Tails Travel and requests you wire them money, to report the website to the FBI’s Internet crimes division by visiting  www.ic3.gov.

Business identity theft (also known as corporate or commercial identity theft) is on the rise. The damage can be devastating to the victim’s business and their reputation.

Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona is sharing these tips on preventing and detecting business identity theft:

• Protect Your Business Records and Information- Business ID theft occurs the same as personal ID theft. If you are communicating or doing business online you are putting yourself at risk, but the majority of id theft occurs offline. Thieves obtain wallets, intercept or reroute mail, and rummage through your trash to gain sensitive information. Therefore, it is important to maintain only those records that are necessary to run or operate your business and to shred those records that are not necessary. Any documents or records you need to keep to run your business should be maintained in a secure location.
• Protect Your Business Online- Do not share financial documents, sensitive personal information or account numbers via e-mail or other Web-based services. If you must provide this sensitive information over a website, ensure that the site is secure. A secure website is indicated with “https” in the websites url.
• Monitor Activity- The best method to detect possible ID theft is to monitor activity around your business. Check your business’s credit report frequently. Sign up for e-mail alerts for your accounts. If an unexpected bill or account shows up or a regular bill doesn’t arrive, contact the billing company. Also, pay attention to contact from consumers. If consumers report to you that they have received communication that does not sound like it came from your business, check it out and try to obtain the correspondence they have received.

If your business has fallen victim to identity theft BBB offers these tips:

• Report Theft Immediately- Don’t waste any time, as soon as you feel you have fallen victim contact your bank and credit providers. Report any issue to the credit reporting agencies Dun & Bradstreet, Equifax, Experian, and Transunion. Speak to the fraud department at each bureau and put a “fraud alert” on your file that will prompt creditors to contact you before they open accounts in your name.
• File a Report with Local Law Enforcement- contact the non emergency department of your local law enforcement and arrange to file a report with them. Ask for advice on escalating issues with State or Federal officials if the need is there.
•  Document Everything- Resolving the problems caused by ID theft is a time-consuming process that requires patience and focus. Take notes about conversations, ask for names, department names, phone extensions, and record dates. Follow up with either a phone call or a letter of confirmation to all creditors and credit reporting agencies.
•  Protect Your Customers- make sure the personal and sensitive information of your customers is protected, and contact them if you feel this information has been compromised.
• Contact the BBB- Contact your local BBB and let them know what the situation is so they can issue an alert on your Business Review. The BBB can inform consumers that your ID has been compromised.

Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona is warning businesses and consumers of fraudulent solicitations from scam artists posing as real law firms online. The FBI says it has received numerous reports from legitimate attorneys who say their firms’ identities have been stolen online.

The FBI is asking that anyone who becomes aware of one of these fraudulent websites report them promptly to their state Bar Association, and to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.IC3.gov.

If you receive a suspicious solicitation from an attorney, BBB recommends consumers and businesses check their status with BBB by visiting, www.tucson.bbb.org/Find-Business-Reviews, and with the State Bar of Arizona by visiting www.azbar.org/findalawyer. Any attorney practicing in Arizona must register with the State Bar.

It’s also recommended that businesses and consumers use the contact information provided to them- by BBB or the State Bar- to contact the attorney to make sure they’re the same firm that initially solicited them.

For more business and consumers news and alerts, visit www.tucson.bbb.org.

UPDATE: BBB was contacted by a Tucson attorney who said that in addition to being registered with the State Bar, any Attorney soliciting business in Arizona must include the following disclosure in their solicitation:

“NOTICE: This email and its attachments may contain PRIVILEGED OR CONFIDENTIAL information and is intended only for the use of the specific individual to whom it is addressed. It may contain information that is privileged and confidential under state, federal and tribal law. This email is specifically covered by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. §2510-2521. This email may contain attorney-client privileged information or work product information and is intended only for the use of the individuals named herein. This information may be used or disclosed only in accordance with the law and you may be subject to penalties under the law for improper use or further disclosure of the information in this email and its attachments. If you have received this email in error, please immediately notify the person named above by reply email and then delete the original email. Thank you.“