Better Business Bureau Annual Review 2021

SERVING NEBRASKA, SOUTH DAKOTA, THE KANSAS PLAINS AND SOUTHWEST IOWA

Adapting to meet the challenges of the past year.

ANNUAL REVIEW

2021 bbb.org

I N T E R N AT I O N A L Since September 2017, our BBB has been working with an alliance of four other BBBs: St. Louis, Dallas, Chicago and San Francisco in analyzing and reporting on some of the most pervasive fraud issues that impact American consumers. This alliance hired C. Steven Baker, the retired director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Midwest Region, as the BBB’s International Investigations Specialist.

Dear BBB Accredited Businesses, I am pleased to present the 2021 Annual Review and its theme, “Adapting to Meet the Challenges of the Past Year.” There were countless obstacles presented during the past year, many of which resulted from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. I am proud of the numerous ways in which our BBB rose to the occasion as it met the ever-changing needs of businesses and consumers.

Some days that meant warning our communities about sophisticated, coordinated scam efforts. Other days it meant providing a helping hand to small-business owners as they navigated unfamiliar circumstances.

Through it all, we continued to work to be the leader in advancing marketplace trust. It’s never been more important than it is today to know which businesses are trustworthy, and I’m proud of our collective effort to shine a light on those that display ethical practices.

There have been 16 in-depth scam studies and several follow-up reports released. These studies are conducted to give consumers and businesses a more in-depth understanding of how each specific scam works. Specifically, how scammers use social engineering and play on emotions to trick their victims. The BBB’s overall goal is to provide you with more knowledge and give you the confidence needed, so you remain scam free!

Jim Hegarty BBB President/CEO

These scams have been growing for several years, but dramatically increased during the pandemic, according to BBB research. A survey found 29% of people shopping online before COVID-19, increasing to 37% by the end of 2020.

With many stores closed and people staying at home, online shopping increased. But even with fewer lockdowns in 2021, consumers continued to shop online.

Puppy Scams An update to the BBB’s 2017 investigative study on puppy scams found that there was an increased demand for “quarantine puppies” and other pets during the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing with it a spike in scams that has persisted even as virusrelated lockdowns have abated.

Online pet scams -- in which an online search ends with a would-be pet owner paying hundreds of dollars or more to adopt a pet that ultimately doesn’t exist -- are especially pervasive during the holiday season, when families may be looking to add a furry family member as a gift. Extreme caution is encouraged if shopping for a pet online.

With consumers increasingly worried about supply chain disruptions and forecasts for record-breaking online spending for the 2021 holiday season, it is especially important for online shoppers to know how to protect themselves from deceptive advertising and online scams that may trick them into purchasing non-existent merchandise.

Consumers report online fraud ranging from sales of non-existent vehicles, pets and products, to counterfeit goods and costly free trial offers.

On behalf of our Boards of Directors and staff, I want to thank you for your ongoing support.

Sincerely,

Online shopping ranks highest among the types of industry complaints registered with Better Business Bureau and fraud reports to BBB Scam Tracker last year.

In 2021, the following 5 studies were published:

This review provides you with important information about your BBB and the work we have done during the past year. I hope you will take advantage of all we have to offer!

Best wishes to you and yours for a happy and prosperous New Year!

Online Shopping Fraud

The shortage of available puppies due to high demand puts the U.S. at even more risk for these scams.

Online shopping scam reports to BBB Scam Tracker skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and pet scams make up 35% of those reports in 2021. While pet scam-related reports are down slightly from 2020, they were expected to double in 2019 relative to those reported in 2019, and more than quadruple those reported in 2017.

The largest group of victims by age are those 25-35, followed by those 35-44. The average financial loss reported to BBB Scam Tracker was $1,088. While 82% of pet scam reports involved dogs, other reports included cats, birds and iguanas.

The largest group of BBB Scam Tracker reports -- 40% of the total -- involve victims of online ads found on Facebook and Instagram.

Consumers tell BBB that Facebook and Instagram are often not helpful in addressing violations of their own policies when consumers receive nothing at all, counterfeit goods, or items that were inferior to what was advertised and purchased. These encounters often take place after seeing enticing social media ads placed by operations in China.

Job Scams The pandemic resulted in millions of unemployed people in the United States and Canada, which provides scammers with a large pool of unsuspecting victims to target.

Complaints and reported losses increased during the pandemic, and with more people currently wanting to work from home, the door was left open to even more job scams. BBB reports that an estimated 14 million people are exposed to employment scams every year, with $2 billion in direct losses annually.

I N V E S T I G AT I V E I N I T I AT I V E S logging an increase of more than 35% in reported dollar losses. The updated research highlighted how these scams work and the importance of educating consumers, particularly those who may be susceptible to a specific scam.

Job scams have long been a staple of scam operations. Once commonly found in the province of classified ads claiming people could work at home stuffing envelopes, assembling goods, or promises to provide jobs working for the Postal Service, those scams are now far less common.

A new generation of scammers advertise jobs on the web and social media, or reach out to those who have posted resumes on job boards. These changes increase the risks of identity theft. They also have resulted in a big increase in scams that involve reshipping goods purchased with stolen credit cards. Other common scams promise jobs but provide victims with counterfeit checks, asking them to send money to a supposed third party for equipment to perform the job.

This study examines how common these frauds are, who they are most likely to affect, how they operate and how to avoid them. Of particular concern is the risk of identity theft, jobs that require reshipping goods purchased with stolen credit cards or helping scammers in other ways, and scams that involve fake checks.

People over the age of 55 continue to be the primary target of sweepstakes, lottery, and prize scams, representing 72% of fraud reports for this type of scam received by BBB Scam Tracker during the last three years. Of the older consumers who were targeted, 91% reported that they lost money.

Adults over 55 lost an average of $978 while those 18-54 lost an average of $279, according to Scam Tracker reports.

Virtual Vehicle Vendor Scams Vehicle shipper and escrow scams are growing as demand increases for online vehicle purchases.

People agree to buy it, send thousands of dollars to someone they don’t know and then wait. No vehicle ever arrives.

Government Impostor Scams Government scams have become more diverse and sophisticated. Scammers pose as CDC officials, IRS reps, and contact tracers. Here’s the catch: callers claim jail time can be avoided if you pay a fine by purchasing gift cards and reporting their code numbers.

Gift Card Payment Scams Gift cards are a billion-dollar industry and have been the most popular gift for 14 consecutive years, according to the Gift Card Retail Association.

That interest has only further spiked since the COVID-19 pandemic caused many around the globe to stay at home.

An AARP survey found that two-thirds of the public intended to purchase them for the 2020 holiday season.

Sweepstakes, Lottery and Prize Scams An update to our 2018 Sweepstakes, Lottery, and Prize Scam Study found that these types of scams resulted in higher financial losses during the COVID19 pandemic compared to the previous three years, particularly for older people.

Since the BBB’s 2018 study, there has been a 16% decrease in complaints to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and the Canadian AntiFraud Centre (CAFC). However, financial losses reported to all three agencies rose dramatically in 2021 with the COVID-19 pandemic, with FTC

Scammers often ask victims to pay through Cash App or Zelle. In addition, BBB is beginning to receive reports where victims are asked to insert cash into Bitcoin ATMs, and that payment method is a growing concern. Providing the numbers from the back of a gift card is just like sending cash. Whether victims give the numbers over the phone or text a photo of the back of the card, they are essentially handing money to scammers, who may quickly drop the funds into foreign bank accounts. It’s nearly impossible to get the money back because gift cards do not have the same protections as credit or debit cards. Scammers use this method of payment especially in government impersonation, tech support, and romance scams.

According to a December 2020 analysis by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), “About one in four who lost money to a fraud say they paid with a gift card. In fact, gift cards have topped the list of reported fraud payment methods every year since 2018. During that time, people reported losing a total of nearly $245 million, with a median individual loss of $840.”

MEDIA IMPACT REPORT ON SCAM STUDIES Grand Totals from September 2017 - December 2021 Media Mentions: 33,761 Audience: 11,837,972,499 Nielsen Audience (TV & Broadcast): 464,804,323 Publicity Value: $65,678,305 Ad Value: $9,619,674 Run Time: 279.9 hours Top Media Outlets: ABC News, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Fox News, NBC News, CBS News, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal To increase your scam knowledge, you can read all of the studies at bbb.org/all/scamstudies.

GIVE YOUR BUSINESS THE COMPETITIVE EDGE!

Scam Tracker

Accredited Business (AB) Seal Earning BBB Accreditation is a great achievement, and we want everyone to know that you are part of an elite group of businesses that believe ethics and reliability build a trustworthy marketplace.

If you don’t use your BBB Accredited Business Seal, you could be missing out on customer leads and business opportunities. Customers recognize the torch. Make sure you are displaying the most current version of the BBB seal. Show customers who you are.

You are encouraged to use BBB’s Accredited Business Seal in all of your off-line marketing and advertising: newspaper ads, handouts, direct mail, vehicle signage, business cards, annual directories, invoices, phone book ads, TV commercials, etc.

Whether it’s a fake check scam, a phony IRS call, a lottery scam or something else, BBB’s online tool Scam Tracker lets the world know about them. Scam Tracker is designed to monitor and track fraudulent activity - both locally and across North America. By using technology to collect scam reports from consumers and businesses and utilizing the power of the network of Better Business Bureaus working in communities across the United States and Canada, BBB Scam Tracker maximizes our efforts to educate consumers and stop fraudsters.

To receive electronic copies of BBB’s Accredited Business Seal for your offline marketing, call 800-649-6814 or email ABCustomerService@bbbinc.org.

Go to bbb.org/scamtracker to report a suspicious offer or to get more information about scams targeting your area. People have the option of filing a report or learning about scams or suspicious activity other people in the region have reported to us. BBB staff review all submissions to the site in order to watch for patterns of a problem and ensure the submissions are authentic. Since 2015, more than 271,000 scams have been reported to BBB Scam Tracker!

Online Dynamic Seal

Education is everyone’s best defense from scams. Do your part and help others from falling victims by reporting scams on BBB Scam Tracker.

You can increase the power of your status as an AB by using BBB’s Dynamic Seal, the online version of the BBB Accredited Business Seal. By participating in this program, you are able to display the seal on your company’s website or any place you control and do business online (such as Facebook or email). The Dynamic Seal links directly to your BBB Business Profile; providing your company the instant reliability consumers are looking for by ensuring your accreditation is legitimate. It will also help increase your website’s search engine optimization (SEO).

If you would like to get your customized BBB Dynamic Seal on your website, call 800-649-6814 or email ABCustomerService@bbbinc.org.

Business Profile Last year 2,674,212 BBB Business Profiles of organizations in our BBB’s service area were accessed. When your business comes up in search results on BBB.org, it is important to make sure your BBB Business Profile makes the best impression possible. A complete profile with details about your products and services, customer reviews, and your BBB Accreditation all increase your chances of attracting new customers.

Business Profile Tips START BY REVIEWING YOUR BBB BUSINESS PROFILE: This will ensure all information about your business is correct.

Use this checklist to update or complete your profile.

Products and/or services offered Business address and phone number Website URL and email address Social media URLs Business logo Photos and videos of products or projects Hours of operation Return and refund policies

“

Last year 2,674,212 BBB Business Profiles of organizations in our BBB’s service area were accessed

”

KEEP YOUR INFORMATION UP TO DATE: Accurate information helps customers contact you and ensures BBB is able to notify you of new customer reviews and complaints.

RESPOND TO ALL COMPLAINTS: Quickly responding to and resolving complaints can be an effective way to turn a dissatisfied customer into a loyal supporter, and it shows everyone else reading the complaint that you value and respect your customers.

ENCOURAGE CUSTOMERS TO LEAVE REVIEWS: Accurate information helps customers contact you and ensures BBB is able to notify you of new customer reviews and complaints.

UPLOAD PICTURES AND VIDEOS: Images and videos of your products, services, or projects are more engaging and persuasive forms of content than text-only information about your business.

Need help updating your BBB Business Profile?

Please contact us at 800-649-6814 or ABCustomerService@bbbinc.org and someone from our Accredited Business Services team will be happy to help.

! USE BBB’S ACCREDITED BUSINESS (AB) BENEFITS

BBB’s Torch Awards are Back! (formerly the Integrity Awards) They have a new name and a simplified application.

After a two-year hiatus from honoring businesses and charities in our service area because of the pandemic, BBB’s prestigious awards are back in 2022! Formerly called the BBB Integrity Awards, they have a new name, the BBB Torch Awards for Ethics.

These Awards honor organizations whose leaders demonstrate a high level of personal character; ensure that the organization’s practices meet the highest standards of ethics; and consequently generate trust with its customers/clients and their community. The Torch Awards for Ethics embody BBB’s mission of advancing marketplace trust.

If your business or charity has been operating under the same ownership for three years or more and has an “A” rating with BBB, you are eligible to apply. Independent panels of judges from the business, academic and charitable communities select the award recipients. The application deadline is April 29, 2022. Unlike other awards, the Torch Awards for Ethics focus on demonstrated ethical business practices, rather than a company’s growth, profitability, or popularity.

Additionally, BBB is introducing a new, simplified application. This streamlined form, which is completed online, will make it easier to demonstrate the best of your organization. We believe celebrating the best in our service area makes us all better!

If you have ever considered applying, this is the year to do it! There will be awards presented for businesses and charities located in Metro Omaha/ Southwest Iowa, Lincoln/Greater Nebraska, South Dakota and The Kansas Plains.

You can start your application today at www.bbb. org/local/0714/torch-awards.html where you will find more information and the link to the “Official Application Form.”

Benefits for Award Winners: • Recognition as an award winner in press releases, blog posts, social media, local advertisements and BBB’s website • Enhanced customer confidence • Increased employee pride • A distinctive Award for display • Customized promotional materials • Instructions to advertise the award to your communities and stakeholders • A Torch Awards winner’s logo that can be used on your website and in marketing efforts • Winners’ applications from for profit and 501 (c) (6) organizations will be submitted for the International Torch Awards competition Note: Only winners’ applications from the charity categories that are BBB Accredited Charities can be entered for the International Torch Awards.

BBB Online Directory and Local Printed “Solution” Directories Instead of each BBB having its own directory on its website, BBB has a single online directory that combines all BBBs’ databases at BBB.org.

Accredited Businesses (ABs) have their company’s name, address and phone number listed, at no cost, under their main Type of Business (TOB) category in the online directory. Every listing has a link to the company’s BBB Business Profile, and ABs have the BBB Accredited Business Seal prominently displayed. This distinguishes them from non ABs. Also, if a consumer wants to find only BBB Accredited Businesses, those THE SOLUTION can be easily accessed by clicking the button “BBB Accredited” 2022 BBB ACCREDITED BUSINESS DIRECTORY at the top of all TOB listing pages in the directory.

FREE PUBLICATION

Adapting to meet consumers’ needs in today’s marketplace BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU® SERVING OMAHA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA

Start With Trust®

BBB.org

Additionally, organizations that were BBB Accredited Businesses as of January 31, 2022 have their organizations listed for free in one of the four printed “Solution” Directories for businesses located in: Metro Omaha and Southwest Iowa, Metro Lincoln and Greater Nebraska, South Dakota or The Kansas Plains. These will be distributed across our service area in 2022.

Affordable opportunities to advertise in the printed directory and the online directory are available. For more information about advertising, email info@bbbinc.org or ABCustomerService@bbbinc.org.

Award Categories Include: • Businesses with 1-4 employees • Businesses with 5-10 employees • Businesses with 11-24 employees • Businesses with 25-99 employees • Businesses with 100-349 employees • Businesses with 350-499 employees • Businesses with 500+ employees • Charities with 1-24 employees • Charities with 25+ employees Application Workshops: BBB will be offering in-person workshops in Omaha and on Zoom to familiarize you with the application process. The dates of the workshops are posted on BBB’s website at bbb.org/local/0714/torchawards. They will also be recorded and placed on our website. No matter where you live, you can take advantage of these helpful workshops.

Whether you are attending in person at BBB’s headquarters, 11811 P Street, Omaha, NE or via Zoom, reservations are required. Please email BBB Director of Public Relations & Communications Josh Planos at jplanos@bbbinc.org with the following information: your name, company’s name, email, phone, the date of the workshop and the number of people from your organization attending. Also indicate if you are attending in person or on Zoom. Zoom attendees will be sent a link for the workshop you have signed up for.

Application deadline is April 29, 2022

Streampage BBB has an adaptive communication system called Streampage that sends you emails with content specifically designed to meet the needs of our BBB Accredited Businesses. When you receive an email from Streampage, that means BBB is letting you know about some important information we wish you to know about.

Customer Reviews • Become a 5-Star BBB Accredited Business • Customer Review App is free to all BBB Accredited Businesses • Text your customers’ review requests with one click • Available on mobile devices and computers Star ratings are one of the most important things consumers use to select a business, so managing your online reputation is more crucial today than ever. Customer Reviews significantly impact your online reputation, and your reputation can affect your bottom line.

As a BBB Accredited Business, you have exclusive tools that help you manage your online reputation. One is the Review Solution app, a FREE MOBILE APP that can help you get customer reviews from anywhere in just 30 seconds. All reviews on the BBB website are at no cost to you.

Additional review sites, important to your company, can be added for a fee.

To learn how to set up your Customer Review account, download the free app, activate and use it, call The Review Solution’s Support Team at 888-649-6140 or go to https:// yourcustomerreviews.com.

Capture reviews through text.

1. Download and activate the app (Use phone graphic here) 2. Enter name 3. Enter mobile number 4. Click send*** Done After you have set up your account and you send your customer a link to fill out a review and they hit “submit,” BBB will contact you to determine whether or not the reviewer is actually one of your customers. BBB will not post reviews from non-customers. Businesses are also offered the opportunity to respond to customer reviews and have those responses posted online.

Get a Quote Are you taking advantage of BBB’s “Get a Quote” program that connects prospective customers only with ABs for estimates or information about products or services? Our 2021 statistics show that there were 34,953 requests for quotes sent to our ABs, but only 9,788 were claimed. That’s a lot of potential business missed!

How Get a Quote Works • Once a consumer has requested a quote, it is sent to three Accredited Businesses that are within their service area.

• These businesses have 30 minutes to “claim” the lead, confirming that they will make contact with the customer in the next 24 hours.

• If a lead is not claimed by those 3 companies, BBB will send requests to other companies every 30 minutes (during the week) and one hour (on weekends) until 3 business have claimed the lead.

• Quotes that are sent directly to your business should be claimed in the same timely manner.

BBB sends Get a Quote alerts multiple ways: an email to your business email address, an SMS text message to a smartphone, or both email and SMS. Consumers Get a Quote By: 1. Filling out our Get a Quote online form at BBB.org.

2. Clicking the Get a Quote button on your company’s BBB Business Profile (Direct Request).

3. Looking for your type of business in their area at BBB.org (Simple Search).

Please make sure you know which email address or cell phone number is currently receiving your BBB quote requests. For more information or help, call AB Customer Service at 800-649-6814 or email ABCustomerService@bbbinc.org.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) SEO is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine’s unpaid results—often referred to as “natural,” “organic,” or “earned” results. In general, the higher ranked on the search results page and more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine’s users.

The major search engines consider BBB.org to be a “high authority” website. Google gives websites a PageRank from 0-10. The higher the ranking, the higher the website’s “authority.” BBB.org has a PageRank Value of 8 out of 10, which may help your company’s BBB Business Profile appear higher in Google search result.

Besides having the power of the BBB behind you, here are a few ways to appear more attractive to search engines: • Take advantage of all the great features on your BBB Business Profile.

• Have engaging, interesting content that readers want to read on your website.

• Avoid having pages with ‘thin’ content and/or too many links.

• Make it easy for the user to identify where information is located on your site.

• Do not duplicate content. Search engines look for fresh, original and unique content.

• Make sure your website is mobile-friendly.

• Have a well-maintained presence on social media and link to your website from your posts.

• Put complete contact information on your site, including address, phone, email and social media links (where applicable).

BBB’S FOUNDATION HELPED BUSINESSES BY BRINGING PROGRAMS AND EDUCATION TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES! Secure Your ID/Document Shredding Event In 2021, the number of BBB’s Secure Your ID Events were curtailed because of the pandemic, so there was only one held. It was in Sioux Falls on April 17th. BBB partnered with Crime Stoppers of the Sioux Empire at three locations. Approximately 89,580 pounds of sensitive paper documents were shredded and over 2,500 vehicles were served. In addition, the event raised $26,763 to support Crime Stoppers.

Virtual Programs Presented in 2021 In spite of the pandemic that prevented safe, in-person gatherings, your BBB served hundreds of businesses by having its programs on Zoom. Our two major programs focused on the threats businesses were facing because so many were people were working remotely – a different way to connect.

Scammers were finding ways to take advantage of this situation.

Student of Integrity Awards The BBB Student of Integrity Awards program is sponsored by BBB’s Education Foundation. These awards are not based on ethnicity or grade point average, but they recognize students who exemplify integrity, leadership and service.

Twelve $2,000 scholarships are presented annually to high school seniors who reside in the geographic areas served by the BBB: Metro Omaha/ Southwest Iowa, Metro Lincoln/Greater Nebraska, South Dakota and The Kansas Plains. The winners are selected by independent panels of judges in Omaha, Lincoln, Sioux Falls and Wichita.

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S 2021 Student of Integrity Award Winners METRO LINCOLN AND GREATER NE

Attention businesses: COVID-19 has increased your fraud risk!

Because education is the best defense against fraud, BBB’ Foundation provided a free virtual Fraud Program to over 200 businesses throughout our BBB’s service area on May 26th.

Nationally recognized fraud and cybersecurity expert Stacey Wright, vice president of Cyber Resiliency at the Cybercrime Support Network was the presenter.

She described the threats businesses are facing because of COVID-19: Account Takeovers, ID Theft, PPP Scams, Wire Fraud, Phishing and Virtual Meeting Fraud. She also explained what companies can do to be protected from “the bad guys” by empowering them with tools they can use to detect and fight these new types of fraudsters.

Madison Kreifels

Kortney Hamer

Emmalee Harder

Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca High School Syracuse, NE

Central City High School Central City, NE

Randolph High School Randolph, NE

KANSAS PLAINS

Makenna Roths

Jaylah Hurley

Audrey Rymer

Southeast of Saline High School Gypsum, KS

Inman High School Inman, KS

Hays High School Hays, KS

SOUTH DAKOTA

Ms. Wright possesses a vast array of experiences and credentials that make her a leading expert in fraud and cybercrime.

• She leads projects to assist the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in developing the cyber domain for the National Information Exchange Model and the development of the international Cyber Classification Compendium; • She works with multiple partners and stakeholders around the world, particularly in state and local governments, and law enforcement; • Stacey teaches two graduate cybersecurity and threat intelligence courses at the State University of New York; • She was the Cyber Intelligence Analyst for the (FBI) Albany Division, where she was responsible for coordinating the local cyber intelligence program.

Kelton Vincent

Jocelyn Koneche

Trinity Peterson

Sioux Valley High School Volga, SD

Stevens High School Rapid City, SD

Willow Lake High School Willow Lake, SD

METRO OMAHA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA

How to keep your business safe from identity theft and ransomware On October 19th, BBB and SDN Communications partnered to bring businesses in South Dakota the latest information and education about identity theft and ransomware, as well as cybersecurity tips for safeguarding sensitive personal and business data.

Presenters included Jessie Schmidt, South Dakota state director, BBB; Katie Shuck, South Dakota Fusion Center; Korena Keys, Key Media; Theron McChesney, SDN Communications and Brad Reimer, Sanford Health. They spoke about some of the hazards of working remotely and provided tactics to use for data security during these trying times.

Spencer Gordman

Clara Stueve

Justine Buman

Elkhorn High School Elkhorn, NE

Bellevue, East High School Bellevue, NE

Harlan Community High School Harlan, IA

For information about the 2022 Student of Integrity Awards and NEW online application, go to bbb.org/local/0714/bbb-student-of-integrity-awards.html.

2021 Statistical Highlights Omaha Metro Area/ Southwest Iowa 11811 P St Omaha, NE 68137

INSTANCES OF SERVICE = 3,810,128 Total Business Profiles Accessed on Web: 2,651,668

Total Approved Customer Reviews = 7,615 ■ Positive = 5,031 ■ Negative = 2,507 ■ Neutral = 77

Mobile Devices = 1,187,037 ■ Apple Devices = 693,642 ■ Droid/Other = 484,734 ■ Kindle = 8,661

• • • • •

Total Business Profiles Given on Office Phones = 22,544 Type of Business (TOB) Rosters Accessed = 1,047,217 Agency Referrals = 3,833 AB Online Dynamic Seals Clicked = 30,795 eQuotes Sent = 34,953

• Total Ad Reviews & Logo Violations Challenged = 292 • Total Complaints Closed = 11,211 • Dollar Amount Involved in Closed Complaints = $1,447,455.29

Top 10 Type of Business (TOB) Inquiries

Top 10 Type of Business (TOB) Complaints

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Roofing Contractors = 147,649 Construction Services = 96,482 Plumbers = 61,783 General Contractors = 54,543 Heating and Air Conditioning = 53,872 Online Shopping = 56,528 Insurance Companies = 49,750 Collection Agencies = 44,770 Electricians = 44,329 Used Car Dealers = 44,140

Banks = 553 Credit Cards and Plans = 519 Collection Agencies = 423 Online Shopping = 372 New Car Dealers = 229 Financial Planning Consultants = 215 Furniture Stores = 206 Student Loan Services = 187 Payday Loans =151 Hotels = 140

COMMUNICATIONS Media Exposure – January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021

Social Media Statistics @Today with BBB = 2,696 (+5%)* @Today with BBB = 2,908 (+9%)*

Total Media Mentions = 6,344 ■ Broadcast = 3,295 ■ Web = 2,062 ■ Print = 987

@Today with BBB = 1,349 (+227%)* @Better Business Bureau, Inc. = 876 (+22%)* @Better Business Bureau, Inc. = 884 (+35%)*

• Average Media Mentions Per Month = 563 • Interviews with Media = 400+

Lincoln Metro Area/ Greater Nebraska 630 N Cotner Blvd Suite 101 Lincoln, NE 68505

*Percentage of increase (+) from 2020

South Dakota 300 N Phillips Ave Suite 100 Sioux Falls, SD 57104

Kansas Plains 125 S Washington St Suite 100 Wichita, KS 67202