Watch Out for Misuse of the BBB Accredited Business Seal

When looking for a reliable business that you can trust, we encourage you to “Look for the Seal;” however, your BBB® would like to add that you should go one step further in determining that you’re truly looking at the correct seal. Unfortunately, the BBB seal is a valuable item, and some operators may try using a copy of the seal to trick unsuspecting consumers into trusting them.

What to look for: This may help when you’re looking online for product services and you come across a site displaying the BBB seal. First, most of our accredited businesses should be using a dynamic seal. If the correct seal is installed, it will usually contain pertinent information regarding the business’ rating and when the business became accredited, and should contain the language “Click for Review.” Clicking on the seal will launch the company’s Business Review which provides more information about the business.

If you should come across a seal that displays only the URL to the Business Review or does not link to the Business Review at all, this could be a sign of misuse of the BBB seal. If you’re not sure, contact your local BBB to make sure that the business is truly accredited.