BBB Warns Against Swine Flu Scams

Scammers are creating their own epidemic of spam e-mails

4/29/2009

Lexington, KY - The Better Business Bureau of Central & Eastern Kentucky is warning consumers to be on the lookout for fraudulent e-mails and Web sites trying to take advantage of the current swine flu outbreak.

“Scammers are always on top of the news headlines," said Heather Clary, Director of Communications for the BBB of Central & Eastern Kentucky. "They know that by using the current fear of a potential swine flu pandemic, they’ll be able to catch lots of attention from consumers.”

Consumers should be leery of spam emails they receive that reference "swine flu" in the subject line, the BBB warns. They could possibly contain viruses. Also beware of links in these e-mails that may lead to unknown online pharmacies promising miracle medicines and vaccines to stop or cure swine flu. The Centers for Disease Control states that while there are some medicines that may help, there is no vaccine specific to this outbreak.

    The BBB offers the following advice to avoid swine flu scams:
  • Avoid opening e-mail from an unknown source and do not click on any links in the body of the e-mail or open any attachments. Instead, delete the e-mail or report it to the Federal Trade Commission by forwarding the e-mail to spam@uce.gov.
  • Don’t believe online offers for vaccinations against swine flu because a vaccine does not exist. For more information on swine flu and updates on progress in fighting the outbreak, go to the Centers for Disease Control website at www.cdc.gov/swineflu.
  • Make sure your anti-virus and anti-spyware software is up to date and all operating system security patches have been installed. If your computer becomes infected as the result of a spam e-mail about swine flu, you can report it to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.

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Contact the Better Business Bureau of Central & Eastern Kentucky to check out companies, charities, or to report problems and scams by calling (859) 259-1008 or toll-free 1-800-866-6668 or by logging on to www.bluegrass.bbb.org.