Better Business Bureau warns of Internet scams

Iowans are being warned that a ring of con artists is using the name of the Better Business Bureau to lure Internet shoppers into website rip-offs. The bureau’s Scott Mecham says the websites do a good job of looking legitimate. The scam claims the on-line purchases of mostly big-ticket items like appliances, cars or motorcycles are secure and the transaction is backed by the Better Business Bureau insurance program, or some similar name. Mecham says the B-B-B doesn’t manage financial transactions for on-line merchants or anyone else. He says if you see an offer on-line that says it’ll be handled by the Better Business Bureau’s system, that’s just not an offer the bureau provides and is likely a scam.