The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a private company that works to promote honesty in the marketplace so that both buyers and sellers can conduct business in a trusting environment. The various branches of the BBB assess businesses on their dependability and warn consumers about scams.

Unfortunately, according to msnbc.com, a new scam cropping up has been using the BBB’s logo to swindle people out of money. Here’s what you need to know to protect yourself and your money.

• It starts with an email or phone call. Like many similar scams, the one using the BBB’s logo reportedly involves a scammer contacting you and indicating that you’ve won a lottery or contest.
• It pays attention to detail. Some victims have noted that scammers used names of real BBB employees and even included in their emails links to bios on real BBB websites.
• A check will arrive. When it does, the scammers will ask that you deposit it and wire them a certain amount of money to cover taxes or fees or some other imaginary cost associated with the imaginary contest.

If you deposit the check, it may clear, but that doesn’t mean the scam is legitimate. If you wire away money, consider it gone forever—this is a classic maneuver some scammers make.

Protect Yourself: Know the Facts

While this scam can be devastating for those who lose money, it’s entirely avoidable. The following are classic warning signs that what you’re being offered is a scam:

• Unknown contest: If you’ve been told you’ve won something you don’t remember entering, ignore it. Hang up the phone, delete the email and walk away. Consider filing a complaint with the FTC.
• Money wires: Any time you have to pay to collect your winnings, know that something is up. Federal law prohibits charging to join sweepstakes and any legitimate organization would take out taxes and fees before sending you a check – how do they know you’d send the money back?
• High emotions: Many scammers rely on drumming up excitement or fear in their victims because when we’re in elevated emotional states, even the savviest among us can make poor financial decisions.

Be on the lookout for any of these signs or anything else that strikes you as off. Sources indicate that some scammers have gotten very sophisticated and use realistic-looking seals, watermarks and color printing, but remember: legitimate offers will still be good after you review them with a trustworthy source.

Be sure to check out businesses on the BBB web site. Legitimate businesses will also let you know their BBB rating. Total Bankruptcy has a BBB A+ rating, its highest rating.