The Better Business Bureau of the Midwest Plains (BBB) has completed a detailed investigation into a series of complaints against Miniature Highland Cattle Farm, which allegedly raises and sells cattle. The business claims to operate from 1852 N 9th Ave in Broken Bow, NE. BBB confirmed with the Broken Bow Police Department that no such business exists at this address, and the actual location of Miniature Highland Cattle Farm is unknown.
The business’s website contains stolen text and images from legitimate sources, including Rolling 7 Mini Highlands, another miniature Highland cattle business located in Broken Bow. Kate Zutavern, the owner of Rolling 7 Mini Highlights, reported receiving calls from confused consumers who mistakenly believed she was associated with the impersonating business.
BBB has received more than 50 inquiries about Miniature Highland Cattle Farm, and the business currently has an F rating on its BBB business profile. Since the first report was made on December 18, 2023, BBB has received four Scam Tracker reports where consumers paid for cows but never received them. One customer reported losing $2,200. Payments were requested through Zelle or CashApp, and customers who asked questions reported being threatened.
BBB offers the following information on how to identify a fake website:
- Look closely at the domain name. One way fake websites trick people is by using a domain name that is extremely close to a real business’ or organization’s domain name. Upon closer examination, you might notice that two letters are swapped or it’s just slightly misspelled. If you find a spelling error in the domain name, you’re not on the official site and it’s best to close the tab.
- Watch out for tricky subdomains. Sometimes attackers hope you will confuse a subdomain with the real domain name of their website. For example, a scammer might use the domain name netflix.com.movies.com hoping you won’t notice the real domain name is actually movies.com.
- Be careful with links in emails. Phishing scams are extremely common. A scammer might send you an email that looks like it comes from a reputable business in hopes that you’ll click on the links without a second thought. Always hover over links in unsolicited emails and even in emails that come from a brand, business, or person you think you know. If the link doesn’t match the blue text or if it’s a short link and you can’t tell where it leads, don’t click it. If you do, you may end up on a lookalike website where your personal information could be compromised.
- Pay attention to contact information and shop policies. Legitimate online stores should provide you with a physical address and working phone number in the contact section. If those elements are missing, it’s best to take your business elsewhere. Return and shipping policies should be clear and easy to understand. If a shop has policies, but you aren’t convinced it’s legitimate, try copying and pasting the policy section into your web browser to see if it’s been copied and pasted from another website.
- Do a search for reviews and potential scams. If you still can’t tell if a website is real or fake, try typing the website name along with the word “scam” or “reviews” into your web browser. If other people have been victims of a fake site, you’re likely to find reports when you search for scams. A reputable store should have plenty of reviews for you to examine. Be alert to reviews that are generic, sound robotic or unnatural, or are too brief as these could be fakes.
For more information
If you’ve been the victim of a scam when you made an online purchase, please report it to BBB Scam Tracker at bbb.org/scamtracker. Your report can help expose scammers’ tactics and prevent others from having a similar experience.
