Better Business Bureaus August 2019 Market Monitor includes stories on becoming a Cleveland Age-Friendly Business, a DNA Scam targeting older adults, a mailing scam targeting Ohio small businesses 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
Cleveland is ranked
as the sixth most
senior-dominated
metro area in
America. By 2020,
older consumers will
outnumber children
and teens by 26%
and by 2030 almost
one-third of Cuyahoga County residents will be
older than age 60.
BBB can help your business better attract and
service older consumers through our Age-
Friendly Business program. This program was
launched in May of this year in partnership with
the City of Cleveland Department of Aging.
If your business is located within the city of
Cleveland, you can now become certified as
an age-friendly
business by BBB
Serving Greater
Cleveland.
An age-friendly
business is one
that offers safe
and secure
environments,
services, and trained
staff for their older patrons. You can begin the
process by applying through BBB at bit.ly/
AgeFriendlyBusinessCLE.
INSIDE: B2BDiscounts•DNATestScam•MisleadingMailings•HowAre“They”GettingMy
PhoneNumber•MeetYourBoard•ApplyforSparkAward•SparkAwardHappyHour
AUGUST 2019
SERVICE TO THE
COMMUNITY
Greater Cleveland BBB Activity
January - June 2019
Reports issued on companies/
charities: 806,732
Customer complaints filed: 3,868
Customer reviews
submitted: 3,454
bbb.org/cleveland visits: 1,309,758
Advertising review cases
initiated: 53
Following application and payment of
the $75 annual certification fee, your
business will be given a site evaluation
performed by AARP Ohio volunteers. The
evaluation reviews your business’s physical
environment, staff
and personnel,
marketing, and
overall customer
experience.
Once you receive
feedback on the
site evaluation, a
valuable age and
disability training
is scheduled for your staff. Following your
successful completion of these criteria, your
business will be certified as age-friendly.
Age-friendly businesses receive an
identifying window cling, a certificate to
display, and a logo for your marketing
materials. Your business will also be featured
on BBB’s website in the Age-Friendly
Business Directory and receive recognition
at City of Cleveland senior events.
To find more information or apply to
become an Age-Friendly Certified business
in the City of Cleveland, visit at: bit.ly/
AgeFriendlyBusinessCLE or email
pam@cleveland.bbb.org.
Tips to Create an
Age-Friendly Business
• Keep aisles clean and
free from barriers.
• Provide seating in a
couple of locations inside
your store.
• Place ramps in areas with
changes in floor heights
to minimize falls and/or
tripping.
• Whenever possible offer
lists, menus, materials in
larger fonts for people
who may have visual
impairments.
• Positively portray older
adults in photos. Refrain
from using images that
negatively stereotype
older adults.
• Discourage the use of cell
phones by staff during
customer interactions/
transactions.
AGE-FRIENDLY BUSINESS
CERTIFICATION NOW AVAILABLE
By 2020,
older adults will
outnumber children
and teens in Cuyahoga
County by 26%
Are you ready for
their business?
Nearly 40% of
Americans 65 and
over live with at
least one disability.
Show your customers
your business is
accessible to everyone
Join BBB and Sheakley to discuss employee retention, harassment, the rise
of remote work and other top challenges that are impacting human
resource management in 2019 and our recommendations for best
practices to overcome them.
PRESENTED BY:
DON HICKS
TOP HR
TRENDS
2019
BUSINESS AT BREAKFAST
W E D N E S D A Y
A U G U S T 7 , 2 0 1 9
8 : 0 0 A M
P A N E R A B R E A D
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B R O O K L Y N , O H 4 4 1 4 4 B R E A K F A S T P R O V I D E D

2. ®
Follow usat:
NEW DNA TEST SCAMS STEALS OLDER
AMERICANS SENSITIVE INFORMATION
BBB is warning about a new scam targeting older adults. We have received several reports
about people claiming to perform medical DNA testing. These scammers go to senior
facilities, set up booths at community events, or reach out via unsolicited mail and phone calls.
They claim to bill Medicare for their swab but instead steal Medicare and personal information
from people’s cards.
What Should You Know About Genetic Testing?
• Confirm that genetic testing has been ordered by your doctor to
determine if DNA testing is right for you.
• Check to see if a screening is covered by your medical plan.
Limited coverage is provided for genetic/DNA testing.
• HIPPA laws do not apply to direct-to-consumer companies or
people who approach you on the street. Read the company’s
privacy policy to determine how your information is shared and
who it is shared with.
• Check to make sure the company you are using for testing is
legitimate by researching them at bbb.org.
MISLEADING MAILINGS TARGETING LOCAL
BUSINESSES IN THE CLEVELAND AREA
Watch your mailbox for a letter from Ohio
Certificate Service that is offering a 2019
Certificate of Good Standing from the
State of Ohio for $67.50. The mailing uses
an official-looking seal and a Columbus,
Ohio, address. BBB has confirmed Ohio
Certificate Service is a private entity
and its address is a UPS store. Most
importantly, you never need to pay to
receive a Certificate of Good Standing—
the certificate can be downloaded for free
simply by visiting the Ohio Secretary of
State’s website.
BBB believes Ohio Certificate Service is
targeting businesses who have recently
registered with the Ohio Secretary of
State. While the mailings disclose in fine
print that they are not from a government
agency, it is easy to overlook.
While it is not necessarily illegal to charge
a fee for a product or service that is
available at no cost, it is wise to do your
research. Businesses are also frequently
solicited to buy labor law posters that are
required to be displayed at your company.
You can download these notices for free
at https://das.ohio.gov/Divisions/Human-Resources/HRD-OCB-Policy/Labor-Employment-
Law-Posting-Requirements.
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
HOW ARE “THEY”
GETTING MY PHONE NUMBER?
If you feel like you’re plagued by robocalls at work and at home,
you’re not alone—Americans received 48 billion robocalls in 2018,
a number that has only continued to increase. But how do these
callers get your number in the first place? Scammers and legitimate
telemarketers purchase contact information from data aggregators
and those aggregators can find your number in a litany of ways. Are
you a registered voter? Have you donated to a charity or called a toll
free number? Then there’s a strong likelihood that your information has
been collected and sold. Robocallers also randomly dial numbers, so
most numbers are at risk.
To protect consumers from the annoyance and risk of robocalls, the Federal Communications
Commission has launched several initiatives to ban illegal robocalling and protect consumers
from scammers including allowing phone providers to automatically block calls with a high
fraud risk. For example, providers can block calls from numbers with fake zip codes, numbers
not in use, or spoofed numbers that claim to be from trusted organizations like the IRS or Social
Security. In July 2019, AT&T became the first phone carrier to proactively block these high-risk
calls on consumer phones. This service is free for all who have a mobile phone with AT&T. The
service also alerts consumers when an incoming call may be spam and gives them the option to
reject the call.
While all phone providers must offer these services by the end of the year, there are a few ways
that you can protect yourself and your business from fraudulent robocalls in the meantime:
Screen Your Calls. Robocallers are looking for “live” numbers where someone has answered the
phone. If you don’t recognize the number, don’t pick up. If it’s important, they’ll leave a message.
Train Yourself and Your Staff. Make sure you and your employees can spot the difference
between scam and legitimate calls. Numbers calling you with the same first six digits as your
own number are likely scammers trying to spoof your number. Staying up to date on new
scammer techniques and informing your staff will help prevent scammers from getting more
sensitive information than your phone number.
Just Hang Up. If you accidentally answer a robocall, ignore prompts to press digits or say “yes”
to be taken off their calling list. Pressing a key or responding lets scammers know they have an
active number, making you a target for more robocalls. Your reply of “yes” can also be recorded
and used to authorize fraudulent charges on your accounts.
MEET YOUR BBB DIRECTORS
Robert Giacalone, Ph.D. is currently the Raymond and Eleanor Smiley Chair in
Business Ethics at the Boler School of Business, John Carroll University. In his
current position, he also serves as the Director of The Ginn Institute for Corporate
Social Responsibility. He has been the Series Editor for the Sage Series in Business
Ethics, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Management, Spirituality, and Religion,
and editor of several special journal issues. He is currently co-editor of the Ethics
in Practice book series and serves on several journal editorial boards.
Ella Fong is the Director, Major Gifts for WVIZ/PBS, 90.3 WCPN, and 104.9 WCLV
ideastream. She is actively involved with the FBI National Citizens Academy
serving as the Executive Vice President of the Alumni Association and Chairman
of the Board of the FBI Citizens Academy Foundation of Cleveland. She has also
been a Director of the Neighborhood Leadership Institute and a United Way
committee member. Ellla has received many honors including the National FBI
Director’s Community Service Award, the U. S. Department of Treasury Patriotic Service Award,
and was inducted into the World Karate Union Hall of Fame in 2009.
APPLY FOR
BBB’S SPARK
AWARD!
Are you - or do you
know - a business owner
35 years or younger
whose new business is
less than three years
old? If so, apply or
nominate a business
for BBB’s Spark Award.
Winners will receive a
$2,000 cash prize!
APPLYING IS EASY!
1. CREATE a video (2
min max) on how your
business embodies
Character, Culture
and Community.
2. UPLOAD your
video and complete
the written
application at bit.ly/
CLESparkAward.
3. SUBMIT videos
and completed
applications by
November 18, 2019.
4. FINALISTS will
be announced in
mid-December.
The winner will be
announced in January
at LaunchHouse’s
Bootstrap Bash and
receive a $2,000 cash
prize.

4. The Market Monitor
Better Business Bureau
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
The Market Monitor (ISSN 1085-5122). August 2019. Volume 15 No. 4. 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.
AUGUST 2019
SPARK AWARD
HAPPY HOUR
Thank you for supporting the launch
of our 2020 Spark Award, which
honors entrepreneurs age 35 and
younger whose new businesses
are less than three years old and
demonstrate Character, Culture
and Community. We had a great
time meeting and networking with
local entrepreneurs, members of
LaunchHouse, and Accredited
Businesses!