BBB Targeted by Scam

The Council of Better Business Bureaus aims to protect the public from fraud, scams and con games.

Now the BBB is the target of a new scam: Crooks are fraudulently using the organization’s name in order to steal tens of thousands of dollars from victims who are led to believe they have won a lottery:

BBB has been notified that an individual was contacted over the phone by someone claiming they were with the Council of Better Business Bureaus. The caller used the name Jacob Chasen and offered his phone number; however, it is not a BBB number. The caller indicated the individual had won a BBB lottery, but to receive the winnings, taxes and fees must be paid in advance.

“Many people are struggling in the current economy and when someone tells you that you’ve won millions in a lottery, it can seem like an answer to prayer,” said Stephen A. Cox, President and CEO of CBBB. “Every year, tens of thousands of people contact BBB about a suspicious lottery and instead of cashing in, many lose thousands of dollars they don’t have. This one involves our name and so we want to get the word out right away that this is a scam.”

If someone calls and tells you you've won a lottery - or anything else for that matter, healthy skepticism (if not outright guffaws) are in order.

*Always confirm the facts directly with the organization the representative claims to be from. Use contact information that you found on your own from the organization’s website; don’t rely on phone numbers or web links provided by the representative.

*Never, ever, ever pay money to get money. Scammers of all stripes make their money by convincing victims that they have to pay taxes or fees up front in order to receive their winnings. These are called "advance-fee schemes" and they catch a lot of people every year. Don't be one of them.

*Scammers will often mail a check with instructions to deposit it and wire back a portion of the funds to cover fees or taxes. This gives the victim a false sense of security, until the check is discovered to be fake.

If you've gotten a call or email that sounds like this, contact your local BBB immediately to report the incident.

Get a Business Score

A source (and friend) lets me in on a new business venture he's joined.

It's Enloop, a service being unveiled this week at the Finovate Conference.

Enloop is aimed at startup entrepreneurs.

"We help small to mid-size business owners create a business plan through a step-by-step process. We use industry data to 'score' their business and tell them the likelihood of success," wrote Elliot Tomaeno, director of communications for the new company.

"We are FREE for everyone. We just had a woman in Ethiopia use our tool to build and score her idea for a deli," he added.

Sounds like another in the series of free or low-cost online innovations that have come up in the past couple of years, aimed at helping entrepreneurs start and run their companies.

Check it out - and let me know what you think.

Million Dollar Consulting

Many former execs have left their corporations - by hook or by crook - in the past two years.

If they haven't been able to retire, you can bet a lot of them have opened their own consulting practices.

Most will be lucky to equal their former salaries, and others just won't make it at all. Why?

Check out my interview with "Million-Dollar Consultant" Alan Weiss, a man who most definitely does not have a self-esteem problem! (But was a gracious and lovely interviewee.)

$8 Billion Fraud in 2010

Financial fraud cost small and mid-sized businesses $8 billion in 2010.

Here are some tips for preventing fraud at your company.

Free Help

If I've said it once, I've said it a million times: There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Now, let me make an exception. Good, free advice is hard to come by but it's not impossible.

SCORE, sponsored by American Express OPEN, the small business arm of AMEX, does a multi-city tour every year providing excellent free advice and counseling to small business owners. And I can vouch for them because I attended one myself.

Here's the 2011 schedule for “Small Business High Speed Growth,” a brand new national multi-city tour that couples popular one-on-one speed coaching with new problem-solving workshops focusing on areas that directly impact small business growth, including effective marketing and business finances.

May 9 – Washington, DC

June 7 – Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN

June 21 – Portland, ME

July 13 – Orange County, CA

October TBD – New York, NY

More information and registration here.

Dazzle Your Customers

Check out these terrific customer service tips from Micah Solomon in my Smart Answers column this week.

Eschew Your Comfort Zone

I'm a person fairly addicted to comfort. Not luxury, not wealth; but I do very much enjoy my comfortable routines and my comfortable life.

When a friend told me once how much she loved putting herself in risky, scary situations to see how she'd respond, I just shook my head: Does Not Compute. I don't like roller coasters, either.

As an introvert, getting out of my cave and shaking up my routine takes work and doesn't really feel ... comfortable. But I know that I have to fight this tendency to burrow in. I have to pry myself out of my comfort zone every once in a while. And when I do, it is usually with good results. (Not always, but usually.)

Last week, I got out of my routine for a couple of days and attended the Invent Your Future conference for women in Santa Clara.

It brought together entrepreneurs and professional women in a dynamic confluence of networking, learning and encouragement. I got to meet some terrific women, racked up a bunch of column ideas and ledes and heard Guy Kawasaki's presentation on "enchantment."

It is rather sad that Guy - the only guy on the speaker's roster at a women's conference - was the big hit of the event. But he's at a really high level when it comes to presentations, and he even gives some advice on presenting that I found very helpful.

Listen to his lecture or just review his slides. I hope they push you out of your comfort zone (once in a while), too.