Lake Zurich chamber warns of scam

Lake Zurich Chamber of Commerce officials said they had never heard of the U.S. Commerce Association before this week.

So, Chamber Executive Director Dale Perrin said, it came as a surprise when he learned the association was handing out plaques to local businesses, similar to the awards sponsored by the chamber.

"This is not an award by us. It has nothing to do with the Lake Zurich Chamber of Commerce, the Illinois Chamber or the United States Chamber," Perrin said.

He said the chamber office has taken phone calls from businesses in town that received e-mails naming them the "Best of Lake Zurich Award Winner."

The businesses said the e-mails, which they thought had come from the Lake Zurich Chamber of Commerce, asked for $30 to received the plaque.

But, the real kicker came when the Lake Zurich Chamber of Commerce received the same e-mail, announcing it had also won.

"I was shocked," Perrin said. "So, I decided to get to the bottom of it."

Perrin said he checked in with the Better Business Bureau, which issued a warning that the U.S. Commerce Association is part of "a widespread scheme" designed to get companies to purchase plaques and "vanity" awards.

The BBB urged area businesses to exercise caution when dealing with this group or a related organization called the U.S. Local Business Association.

On its Web site, the U.S. Commerce Association says the award program was "created to honor and generate public recognition of the achievements and positive contributions of businesses and organizations in and around..." and inserts the name of the town.

The BBB said little information is available about the U.S. Commerce Association, adding their Web site does not offer a valid phone number. They gave the organization an "F" grade.

Perrin left it to the BBB to make claims against the company, but wanted to make sure every business in town understands the award is not being issued by them.

"From what I understand, towns across the country have had this going on, where this company is issuing awards at a cost to the business," he said. "But, it isn't us."