"Bank of America Online Banking Locked" Phishing Scams

Bank of America Online Banking Locked Phishing Scams

Bank of America customers, be aware of "Bank of America Online Banking Locked" phishing email scams like the one below that are being sent to potential victims by cybercriminals. The phishing email scams are used to steal Bank of America customers' username, password, personal and financial information. This is done by attempting to frighten and trick potential victims into clicking on a link in the same emails that goes to a phishing website that steals personal information and online account credentials.

Sample "Bank of America Online Banking Locked" Phishing Scam

From: Bank of America Alert <info.locked@bofonline.com>

Sent: Sunday, February 25, 2018, 12:23:12 PM CST

Subject: Bank of America Alert: Sign-in to Online Banking Locked

Bank Of America

Dear valued customer,

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

Update Account.

Please Note:

Just Verify The Information You Entered Is Correct.

Sincerely,

Remember, Bank of America is committed to your security and protection.

To find out more, take a look at our Information Security section under

Privacy and Security on the Web site.

Bank Of America

Bank of America, Member FDIC.

© 2018 Bank of America Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Bank of America customers should always go directly to Bank of America's website at https://www.bankofamerica.com/ and sign into their accounts from there, instead of clicking on a link in an email message. And, Bank of America (BOA) customers who have been tricked by the scam should immediately attempt to change their BOA account passwords and contact Bank of America for help.

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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March 19, 2020 at 10:56 AM by
"Bank of America Online Banking Locked" Phishing Scams
info

"From: Bank of America <bankofamerica-notifcaion-account-alerts1124@telus.net>

Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2020, 01:09:48 PM CDT

Subject: [PR] Now is the time to check your data.

Bank of America (R)

Dear Client,

There was problem During The Initial Login process.

You have reached maximum number of attempts allowed to correctly answer your account challenge

questions For your protection, we have locked your account.

Important Your privacy choices may not be properly applied if you enter incorrect information.

Transfer

Verify My account

Thank you for being our customer."

Here is another scam.

Delete

June 26, 2019 at 6:57 AM by
"Bank of America Online Banking Locked" Phishing Scams
info

"From: "Bank of America Account"<e.bofa@accounte.com>

Date: June 25, 2019 at 6:02:43 PM EDT

Subject: Bofa Bank: Sign-in to Online Banking Locked

Reply-To: <e.bofa@accounte.com>

Exclusively for: | JFS INVESTMENTS INC

Bank of America(R)

Online Banking Alert

Sign-in to Online Banking Locked

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

Update Account"

Here is another scam.

Delete

September 6, 2018 at 11:29 AM by
"Bank of America Online Banking Locked" Phishing Scams
info

Here is another scam:

-Original Message-

From: Bank of America <onlinebanking@ealerts.bonkofamerica.com>

Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2018 4:55 PM

Subject: Bank of America Alert: Your Online Banking is Locked

To ensure delivery, add onlinebanking@ealerts.bankofamerica.com to your address book.

Exclusively for: | Valued Online Banking Customer

Online Banking Alert

Your Online Banking is Blocked

Security Checkpoint:

You last signed in to Online Banking on 05/09/2018.

Remember: enter your information correctly to avoid suspension

Delete

Write Your Comment, Question, Answer, or Review

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 Online Banking Locked" Phishing Scams