The Better Business Bureau® of Michigan is warning local businesses to be on the lookout for scammers offering chamber member contact lists for a price.
BBB is aware the lists from Livonia-Westland Chamber of Commerce and Traverse Connect have been offered so far. This scam has also been reported in other states.
The Livonia-Westland Chamber email came from ‘Jennifer‘, posing as a business executive, with no company name. The email was sent to chamber members offering a chamber contact distribution list and a request to inquire on pricing.
Another Michigan business received a similar email, from a James Wood, posing as Public Relations with Community Chamber. The email referenced a list for the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce, which is the former name of Traverse Connect.
BBB’s investigation found Mr. Wood’s email domain, @communitychamber.online, was created on April 13, 2025, and flagged as risky and unreliable. The investigation also revealed the email domain used in the Livonia-Westland Chamber scam, leadfocusdata.net, is invalid, and may be attempting to spoof another real company.
Livonia-Westland Chamber of Commerce says their contact/membership list is included for members only and will never be sold. Traverse Connect offers their list of members free of charge to both members and the public.
If you receive an email similar to this one, do not respond, report it to BBB and the chamber mentioned, then delete it.
BBB offers the following additional tips to avoid this scam:
- Be wary of unexpected emails that contain links or attachments. As always, do not click on links or open files in unfamiliar emails. Scammers are attempting to take your money, information or gain access to your devices.
- Don’t believe what you see. Just because an email looks real doesn’t mean it is. Scammers can fake anything from a company logo to the email address. BBB is often a target of impersonation scams as well.
- Check with the company directly. Use sources like BBB.org to find contact information and follow up with the pitch or request, and make sure you are talking to the real company.
- Be cautious of generic emails. Scammers try to cast a wide net by including little or no specific information in their fake emails. Always be wary of messages that seem overly general.
Report scams to bbb.org/scamtracker.
