Better Business Bureaus October 2018 Market Monitor includes news on the Spark Award, Elder Abuse, Fake Check Scams, events and more.

1. theMarketMonitorN E W S F O R B E T T E R B U S I N E S S B U R E A U A C C R E D I T E D B U S I N E S S E S®
B E T T E R B U S I N E S S B U R E A U S E R V I N G G R E A T E R C L E V E L A N D
Are you a young business leader whose
business demonstrates a higher level
of character, generates a culture that is
authentic about its mission and connects
with community? Or do you know someone
who fits this description?
INSIDE: B2B Discounts •SavetheDate•FakeCheckScams•HTTPSEncryption
VALUEOFACCREDITATION•StatementofOwnership•QuickTipTuesday•BBBStaffGivesBack
OCTOBER2018
SERVICE TO THE
COMMUNITY
Greater Cleveland BBB Activity
January - September 2018
Reports issued on companies/
charities: 1,256,337
Customer complaints filed: 5,806
Customer reviews
submitted: 4,956
bbb.org/cleveland visits: 754,651
Advertising review cases
initiated: 86
You could be the first winner of the BBB
Spark Award! A $2,000 prize will be
awarded at the LaunchHouse Bootstrap
Bash, presented by LaunchHouse and the
Cleveland Jewish News, at Red Space. The
recipient will also be honored at BBB’s
Celebration of Integrity in April 2019. Finalists
for the Spark award will also receive a one-
year Flex Membership to LaunchHouse.
Video entries for the 2018 Spark Awards
are being accepted through November.
For award criteria, to submit an entry, or to
nominate a company, please visit:
bit.ly/CLESparkAward. You can also contact
Pam Anson at (216) 413-5232 or
pam@cleveland.bbb.org.
SPARK AWARD RECOGNIZES
MILLENNIAL BUSINESS LEADERS
Cybersecurity Tips
for Your Small Business
from the FTC
• Keep your software
up-to-date.
• Backup your files.
• Use strong passwords. The
longer the better – at least
12 characters.
• Turn on two-factor
authentication.
• Don’t leave your laptop,
phone or other devices
unattended in public, even
locked in a car.
• Password protect all your
devices. If you access your
business network from
an app on your phone
or tablet, use a strong
password for the app, too.
Updates to Ohio law regarding Adult
Protective Services (APS) expanded the list of
business types required to report suspected
abuse or neglect.
These include:
• Building/Housing Inspectors
• CPAs
• Real Estate Brokers
• Notary Publics
• Banks, Savings & Loans, Credit Union
Employees
• Investment Advisors
• Financial Planners
Elder abuse is defined as an intentional or
neglectful act that harms an older adult age 60
or older. Examples are physical, emotional, or
sexual abuse; neglect; self-neglect; financial
exploitation.
Questions? Contact the Cuyahoga County
Division of Senior and Adult Services at (216)
420-6750.
MORE TYPES OF BUSINESSES
REQUIRED TO REPORT ELDER ABUSE
®
Want an easy way to get more
CUSTOMER REVIEWS?
Sign up for
to drive reviews to your BBB Business
Profile at maxfeedback.com/bbb.
FREE to BBB
Accredited Businesses!

2. ®
Follow usat:
SAVE THE DATE:
CELEBRATION OF INTEGRITY
Mark your calendars for Thursday, April 18, 2019! BBB’s
Celebration of Integrity will occur that morning at Stillwater
Place located within the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. The 2019
Students of Integrity scholarship winners will be announced
along with BBB’s Champion of Integrity honoree. And new
this year - BBB’s Spark Award winner.
Limited sponsorships starting at $150 are available. We
are also looking for donated door prizes. To reserve your
sponsorship, contact Pam Anson at (216) 4132-5232 or pam@
cleveland.bbb.org.
BBB INVESTIGATES FAKE CHECK SCAMS
An in-depth study by Better Business Bureau
finds that, while consumers may write fewer
checks in this era of electronic financial
transactions, fake check scams are on the rise.
The study found the largest group of victims
of fake check frauds are in their twenties and
the losses may hit hard. Small businesses,
lawyers, and banks also suffer losses from
these scams.
The study “Don’t Cash That Check: Better
Business Bureau Study Shows How Fake Check Scams Bait Consumers” digs into the scope
of the problem, who is behind it, and the need for law enforcement and consumer education
to address the issue.
Scammers often succeed because consumers don’t realize:
1. Crediting a bank account does not mean the cashed check is valid. Federal banking
rules require that a bank must make funds from deposited checks available within a
day or two. Even when a check is credited to an account, it does not mean the check
is good. A week or so later, if the check bounces, the bank will want the money back.
Consumers, not the fraudsters, will be on the hook for the funds.
2. Cashier’s checks and postal money orders can be forged. Scammers use cashier’s
checks and postal money orders because many people don’t realize they can be forged.
Fraud employing fake checks is rapidly growing and costing billions of dollars. Fake checks
are used in a variety of frauds, from employment scams to prize and sweepstakes fraud. In all
cases, victims deposit the check and send money back to scammers. BBB warns consumers
to be on guard against these serious and pervasive frauds and their perpetrators.
Small businesses. Check frauds affect not only individual consumers but small businesses as
well. The American Banking Association survey for 2016 found that bank losses from small
business accounts increased to 22 percent for fake check fraud, up from 14 percent from two
years before.
Lawyers. Some sizable law firms have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars to collection
fraud. The attorney deposits a fake check from the client’s “debtor”, deducts their legal fee
and uses a bank-to-bank wire transfer to send the remaining money to the supposed client.
It is the rare lawyer who has not come into contact with this fraud. Fraudsters may even do
careful research on the lawyer or law firm to make the solicitation appear as legitimate as
possible.
Fake check fraud is a huge problem, with complaints to regulatory agencies and consumer
watchdog groups doubling over the last three years. Based on complaint data trends, the
study suggests that there may be over 500,000 victims of counterfeit checks in 2017.
B2B DISCOUNTS FOR
BBB ACCREDITED
BUSINESSES
Easton Telecom Phone service
rates ranging as low as 5% off
most retail services. For a no-
obligation cost comparison and
service analysis, contact Jim
Butler at (800) 222-8122.
Intellicorp Records, Inc. offers
online criminal checks for
$17.07 each. Other reports also
discounted. Call
(800) 539-3717.
Office Depot discount on office
supplies and printing. Contact
Jessica Samp at
(248) 842-7514 or jessica.
samp@officedepot.com. Use
SPC Account #8012 380 6671.
PartnerShip®
offers discounts
on select FedEx®
services
including express packages,
ground packages, and
residential delivery, on both
new and existing FedEx®
accounts. Also save at
least 70% on standard and
guaranteed LTL freight
shipments with UPS Freight,
YRC Freight, Con-way Freight,
and other reputable carriers,
including competitive pricing
on truckload, expedited, and
tradeshow shipments. Call
(800) 599-2902.
Company 119 launched an app
to help you easily get customer
reviews that are sent to your
BBB Business Profile. This
is offered free only to BBB
Accredited Businesses. To sign
up, go to maxfeedback.com/
bbb.
Some member discount programs
generate revenue which BBB reinvests
into the organization’s operations.

3. bbb.org/cleveland
theMarketMonitor
FIVE REASONS YOUR SMALL BUSINESS
WEBSITE NEEDS HTTPS ENCRYPTION
If you’re a small business owner, more than likely you have
a website. Whether or not you sell services or goods online,
securing your website for all visitors is critical to the success of
your business.
Take a minute to see if your website is secured by HTTPS. If it
is, great. If not, this should be something you consider for the
following reasons:
• Reason #1: Compliance with PCI standards - Payment Card Industry Data Security
Standards, aka PCI standards, require HTTPS is used when cardholder data is being
transmitted. If your website processes credit card or other financial information, it is
critical that it is secured by HTTPS.
• Reason #2: Make sure your website isn’t flagged “Not Secure” - The Google Chrome
browser (which represents about 60% of the market share for browser use) will
automatically highlight websites in bright red letters that are not HTTPS encrypted with
the words “Not Secure.” This warning may discourage customers from interacting with
your company’s website and potentially keep them from doing businesses with you.
• Reason #3: Improve your ranking on Google search - Google uses HTTPS as a ranking
signal in its search engine and prioritizes HTTPS-encrypted websites in its rankings.
Making your website HTTPS encrypted will help ensure your customers can locate your
business’s website when they need to.
• Reason #4: Protect your customers from malicious attacks and snoopers - HTTPS
prevents certain bad actors from observing your customers’ browsing behavior. In the
absence of HTTPS, a bad actor can use a variety of technologies to spy on a user and
intercept their data when they access your company’s website.
• Reason #5: Offer your customers a secure experience - Users want confidence in their
online experience and thirst for a trustworthy e-commerce environment. By providing
users with an extra bit of confidence in the form of a “Secure” notification or a small green
lock on your website, you can help ensure that your business’s customers will continue to
engage with your company!
USPS STATEMENT OF
OWNERSHIP
Mini webinars (under 15
minutes) to help you maximize
your BBB accreditation.
October 16 @ 9 am
Cyber Security Awareness
November 20 @ 9 am
Holiday Helper Resources
December 4 @ 9 am
Plan Your Business Resolutions

4. The Market Monitor
Better Business Bureau
2800 Euclid Avenue, 4th Floor
Cleveland, OH 44115-2417
The Market Monitor (ISSN 1085-5122). October 2018. Volume 14 No. 5. Published bimonthly in February, April, June, August, October and December by the Better Business Bureau, Inc. 2800 Euclid Avenue, 4th Floor,
Cleveland, OH 44115-2417, Periodicals postage paid at Cleveland, OH. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Market Monitor, 2800 Euclid Avenue, 4th Floor, Cleveland, OH 44115-2417.
Periodicals Postage PaidThe Market Monitor
Better Business Bureau
2800 Euclid Avenue, 4th Floor
Cleveland, OH 44115-2417
Periodicals Postage Paid
OCTOBER2018
BBB STAFF GIVES BACK
BBB employees volunteered recently at MedWish International,
a BBB Accredited Charity. MedWish International is a not-
for-profit organization that saves lives and the environment
by repurposing discarded medical supplies and equipment to
provide humanitarian aid in developing countries. Volunteers
sort donated supplies which are reshipped to places around the
world that are in need. In 2017, Medwish International made 140
shipments of lifesaving supplies.