Officials with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) serving Nebraska, South Dakota, the Kansas Plains and Southwest Iowa, are warning that emails claiming to be from BBBs have been received by businesses owners and consumers in our region and throughout the U.S. The BBB name and logo are being fraudulently used by criminals in a phishing scam. The emails look very much like a notice of a complaint from BBB, but they contain links to malware that can infect the recipient’s computer or steal passwords.

Below is an example of one of these emails.

“Dear ________________.
This email has been automatically sent to you because we have got a complaint, claiming that your company XWZ is violating The Safety and Health Act.

You can download the document with the explanation of abuse by following the link.

We also request that you give a reply within 48 hours to us. This message should contain information about what you plan to do with it.

Important note:
When replying to us, please leave the abuse ID “Incident:941665154619:634” unchanged in the subject.

Better Business Bureau
Compliance Department”

If you get an email that looks like it is a BBB complaint:

• Do NOT click on any links or attachments.
• Read the email carefully for signs that it may be fake (for example, misspellings, grammatical errors, generic greetings such as “Dear member” instead of a name, etc.).
• Be wary of urgent instructions to take specified action such as “Click on the link or your account will be closed.”
• Hover your mouse over links without clicking to see if the address is truly from bbb.org. The URL in the text should match the URL that your mouse detects. If the two do not match, it is most likely a scam.
• Send a copy of the email to phishing@council.bbb.org (Note: This address is only for scams that use the BBB name or logo)
• Delete the email from your computer completely (be sure to empty your “trash can” or “recycling bin,” as well).
• Run anti-virus software updates frequently and do a full-system scan.
• Keep a close eye on your bank statements for any unexpected or unexplained transactions.

If you have clicked on any of the links within the email, immediately change your email and network passwords AND notify your local IT provider for next steps and actions.

Audubon Police Chief Matt Starmer reports two recent arrests. Last Saturday, 30 year old Aaron Lee Ihnken, of Audubon, was arrested for Trespassing and Public Intoxication – 3rd or subsequent offense.  Ihnken was transported to the Audubon County Jail to appear before a magistrate.

And, on Friday, 31 year old Troy Donald Marasco, of Missouri Valley, was arrested for Driving While Suspended.  Marasco was released on promise to appear in court.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A former council member for the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska who’d pleaded guilty to stealing from the tribe’s casino in Iowa has been given five years of probation. A U.S. district judge in Omaha also told Lawrence Payer on Monday that he must pay $36,000 in restitution. Payer had pleaded guilty to theft from a gaming establishment on Indian lands.

Also Monday in Omaha, another former tribal council member pleaded guilty to the same charge. The sentencing for Thomas Snowball is scheduled for Nov. 6. Authorities say nine former council members conspired to siphon more than $327,000 from the WinnaVegas Casino in Sloan, Iowa.

A verbal, domestic disturbance early this (Tuesday) morning, in Underwood, resulted in the arrest of a man on three warrants. The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office says a Deputy on uniformed patrol was called to an apartment in the 300 block of 3rd Street at around 1:40-a.m., for a reported verbal disturbance.

Upon arrival, he spoke with a woman who said she and her husband had been arguing and there was no physical contact. The deputy located the husband in a bedroom, hiding behind the door. Following a records check, 28-year old Jordan Cannon Moore, of Underwood, was taken into custody without incident, on two California warrants, and one out of Nebraska. Each of the warrants charge Moore with being a Fugitive from Justice.

WINTERSET, Iowa (AP) – Trials have been scheduled for three people charged with arson, accused of burning a covered Iowa bridge featured in the novel “The Bridges of Madison County.” The bridge destroyed April 15 near Winterset also was featured in the 1995 movie adaptation.

Court records said Tuesday that 19-year-old Alivia Bergmann is scheduled to go on trial Aug. 29 in Winterset. Eighteen-year-old Joel Davis is scheduled to begin trial Sept. 26.

The records also say 17-year-old Alexander Michael Hoff is scheduled to go on trial Aug. 29, but he’s trying to move his trial out of Madison County, citing pretrial publicity. His attorney has filed notice the boy will use intoxication and diminished capacity in his defense arguments.

The Creston Police Department reports 55-year old Rodney Earl Bell, of Creston, was arrested late Monday evening at Mills and Oak Streets. Bell was taken into custody on charges of Public Intoxication 2nd Offense and possession of a controlled substance. He was being held in the Union County Jail on a $2,000 bond.