Better Business Bureau Bull

Some years ago, a company calling itself ‘Gem’ began to advertise in the backs of pulp magazines.  It claimed to be literary agents, and had a web page.  It did not accept email submissions.  Certified by the Better Business Bureau, thousands of hopeful writers sent their manuscripts and a small fee.

Gem would acknowledge and send first quality postcards claiming that the item was currently being reviewed by companies such as Random House and Double Day, etc. 

In truth, Gem was a total fraud.

It had gotten BBB approval as any company could, by making an application.  The BBB certifies anything, no matter what it really is, because it does not investigate anything. Any complaints made against a BBB certified company to the BBB is a waste of time and effort, as absolutely nothing at all will ever come from it.

The biggest Ponzis, frauds, and other such scams, go for BBB certification to ‘prove’ to the unsuspecting public that they are ‘legitimate.’

Real companies avoid the BBB, aware that it is used by scammers.

How does the BBB get away with this? Simple.  Their portfolio is only to have a name of an owner, an address, a phone number and a list of employees.  That’s all it requires. It makes no investigation, it processes an application.  Hence, it can declare whether or not there is a business called Factoidz, that it is owned by Mike Quoc, and that it is resident in California. 

And that is all it does.

When you see a BBB certification, be warned.