"Bank of America Restriction On Your Account" Phishing Scam

Bank of America customers who have received SMS text or email messages like the ones below, which claim a restriction has been placed on their accounts are asked to delete them. This is because the messages are phishing scams being sent by scammers or cybercriminals, to trick their potential victims into disclosing their Bank of America's account credentials, and their personal and financial information.

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Bank of America Restriction On Your Account Phishing Scam

The "Bank of America Restriction On Your Account" Scam

Subject: Restriction On Your Account

Date: Thu 16/11/2017 04:13

From: customerservice@emcom.bankofamerica.com

Bank of America

Customer using a laptop for Online Banking Online Banking Alert

Security Update Notification

Dear Customer

Due to concerns, for the safety and integrity of the Bank of America we have issued this warning message.

It has come to our attention that your Bank of America account information needs to be updated as part of our continuing commitment to protect your account and to reduce the instance of fraud on our website. If you could please take 5-10 minutes out of your online banking experience and update your personal records you will not run into any future problems with the online service.

To update now Click http://bankofamerica.us/Online/Loginxphpx/

This is required for us to continue to offer you a safe and risk free environment

However, Failure to do so may result in temporary account suspension. Please understand that this is a security measure intended to help protect you and your account. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Thanks for your co-operation.

Accounts Management As outlined in our User Agreement, Bank of America will periodically send you information about site changes and enhancements.

Official Sponsor 2004-2017 U.S. Olympic TeamsBank of America, Member FDIC.© 2017 Bank of America Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Once scammers or cybercrimes have gotten their potential victims' Bank of America information, they will use it to steal their money and use their accounts to commit fraud. Therefore, if you have received messages appearing as if they came from the Bank of America, asking you to call a number or respond to them with your personal or financial information, please do not follow the instructions in the messages and report them to the Bank of America. Always go directly to www.bankofamerica.com and sign into your account. Once you have signed in, you will be notified of changes or updates to your account.

If you were tricked into following instructions in a fake Bank of America or BofA message, please contact the Bank of America for help using the telephone number on the back of your credit or debit card. Let them know that you were ticked by cyber criminals into submitting your account information on a phishing website.

Check the comment section below for additional information, share what you know, or ask a question about this article by leaving a comment below. And, to quickly find answers to your questions, use our search Search engine.

Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.

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Comments, Questions, Answers, or Reviews

Comments (Total: 2)

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July 1, 2018 at 12:57 PM by
"Bank of America Restriction On Your Account" Phishing Scam
info

Here is another scam:

- Original message -

From: Bank Of America <jtesta@commcc.org>

Date: 6/30/18 1:49 PM (GMT-06:00)

Subject: BOA Account Restriction Notification!

Bank of America?

BOA Account Restriction Notification!

For your safety some information on your account appears to be missing or incorrect.

Please update your information promptly so that you can continue to enjoy all the benefits of your Account. If you don't update your information within 2 days, we'll limit and suspend your account. sorry for any inconvenience caused by our security measurements.

hxxps://www.boaf.bankofamerica.com/...

Note: You will not be able to log in to your account, if you do not respond within 24 your account will be Restricted.

© 2018 Bank of America Corporation. All Rights Reserved

Delete

March 3, 2018 at 11:02 PM by
"Bank of America Restriction On Your Account" Phishing Scam
an anonymous user from: Tukwila, Washington, United States

I received a similar ''security alert / your account will be restricted''

type of scam email today.

What is very disturbing is that sender had the actual last four numbers of

my account, and I had only moments earlier provided that info to

access my account by phone!

I also was asked by the phone rep to verify my email address.

Somehow they got that too?

I checked my call log and no I did NOT misdial, plus I'd called 3 times due to 45 minute hold times. All to correct number.

(I was attempting to report a fraudulent charge.) And I have called my bank dozens of times and have never been verified by providing my email address before.

The so called fraud dept's rep was utterly unconcerned, and just said

that they have ''good security''.

The fact that the scammers had my actual last 4 numbers that I had JUST

entered into their phone system didn't concern her at all.

Delete

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Online Threat Alerts Security Tips

Pay the safest way

Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.

Guard your personal information

In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.

Be careful of the information you share

Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with

Know who you’re dealing with

Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.

Check your accounts

Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.

Don’t believe promises of easy money

If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.

Do not open email from people you don’t know

If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.

Think before you click

If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.

Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond

If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.

Be careful with links and new website addresses

Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.

Secure your personal information

Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.

Stay informed on the latest cyber threats

Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.

Use Strong Passwords

Strong passwords are critical to online security.

Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs

Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.

Update the operating systems on your electronic devices

Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.

What if You Got Scammed?

Stop Contact With The Scammer

Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.

Secure Your Finances

  • Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
  • Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:

Check Your Computer

If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.

Change Your Account Passwords

Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.

Report The Scam

Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.

Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:

  • Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
  • Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
  • Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.

How To Recognize a Phishing Scam

Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.

Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:

Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might

  • say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
  • claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
  • say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
  • include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
  • want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
  • say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
  • offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real

About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)

Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.

By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.

With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.

Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.

Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).

"Bank of America Restriction On Your Account" Phishing Scam