The American Indoor Air Quality Council is welcoming assistance in its fight against consumer fraud from a new direction - the Better Business Bureau.

Local Better Business Bureaus around the country are contacting the IAQ Council office to verify claims of certification found on company websites. In cases where the claims are inaccurate, some BBBs are giving companies as little as 14 days to correct the errors or risk an unfavorable rating.

The IAQ Council has responded by encouraging its certificants to make sure that their websites are accurate and up to date.

"IAQ Council certifications are valuable assets," said Charlie Wiles, IAQ Council executive director. "It is very important to represent them properly."

Details that often trigger a Better Business Bureau investigation include the following:

• Claiming certifications that have expired (the IAQ Council certifies for two-year periods)
• Claiming that a company is IAQ Council certified (the IAQ Council certifies individuals only
• Claiming certification by the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) or the Indoor Environmental Standards Organization (IESO). (These organizations turned their certification programs over to the IAQ Council in 2006);
• Failing to identify the certifying body that sponsors a certification program (IAQ Council certifications should be named and listed as such).

The IAQ Council's website features an updated list of current certificate holders and their companies. The list can be accessed at the IAQ Council website.

The American Indoor Air Quality Council is a non-profit certifying body founded in 1993 to serve the indoor air quality industry. The IAQ Council operates independent, third-party accredited certification programs for indoor environmental consultants, microbial consultants, microbial remediators, indoor air quality administrators and residential mold inspectors. The IAQ Council certifies more than 5,000 professionals in the United States, Canada and overseas.