Bank of America Escrow Account Scam

SecurePCNews.com just received a copy of this scam email from Michael F. (Thanks for passing it on!)

The email says that BofA has received $510,090 that belongs to you. All you have to do is 1.) Pay $450 (****SCAM ALERT***) 2.) Notify someone@SIFY.com (*** notice the email address is not a Bank of America Address? SCAM ALERT****)

If you receive this or a similar email just delete. If by chance you've sent $450 to Mr. Dupont, you just wasted $450.

Here is the full email.

This is a copy of an email that was sent to me claiming to be from Bank Of America :

FINAL NOTIFICATION FROM BANK OF AMERICA

This message is to officially inform you that we received a telegraphic wire transfer of $510,090.00 (plus accumulated interest) from the United States government disbursement account as your compensatory grant for the current economic hardship.

Please be aware that this compensatory grant has been deposited into an escrow account at the escrow office in Texas and is available for remittance immediately.

The standard payment procedure is as follows:- The funds will be wired into any bank account of your choice by Bank of America and the time frame for delivery is 24-48 hours.

It is mandatory that you activate the escrow account by making a subsidized one-time payment of $450.00 via the western union money transfer or money gram to enable the wire transfer function of the escrow account.

PLEASE NOTE: The escrow account activation fee of $450.00 could not be deducted from your funds as your funds are protected by a FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PREMIUM HARDCOVER-INSURANCE POLICY installed to prevent any deductions from your funds by financial institutions until remitted by you.

Hence, the fee must be paid by you via the western union money transfer network or money gram to the payment secretary at the Escrow Office in Texas.

CONTACT THE PAYMENT SECRETARY IN TEXAS TO RETRIEVE THE INFORMATION ON HOW TO PAY THE ACTIVATION FEE AND TO COMPLETE THIS TRANSACTION IMMEDIATELY:

PAYMENT SECRETARY: David Dupont
CONTACT E-MAIL: daviddupont@sify.com

UPON CONFIRMATION OF PAYMENT OF THE ACTIVATION FEE, YOU WILL BE SENT A FORM TO COMPLETE AND YOUR FUNDS WILL BE DEPOSITED INTO YOUR PREFERRED PERSONAL BANK ACCOUNT.

This transaction can only be completed through the payment secretary.

This notification is for information purposes only.

Please do not reply to this message.

Sincerely,

Bank of America.

Contact us about this email
Please do not reply to this email. If you have any questions, please contact the official in charge.

Privacy and Security
Keeping your financial information secure is one of our most important responsibilities. For an explanation of how we manage customer information, please read our Privacy Policy. You can also learn how Bank of America keeps your personal information secure and how you can help protect yourself.

Bank of America Email, 8th Floor, 101 South Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28255.

Bank of America, N.A. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender
© 2009 Bank of America Corporation. All rights rese

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Bank of America Responses to Internet Fraud

SecurePCNews.com recently posted an alert about a new Phishing email targeting Bank of America online banking users. As part of our normal practice we also reported it directly to Bank of America's abuse contact.

In response to our report to them, Bank of America promptly responded and provided great advice for detecting and responding to fraudulent emails. The email also includes a link to great information about detecting protecting against fraud.

For more information about phishing you can also visit SecurePCNews.

Following is Bank of America's response:
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-----Original Message-----
From: noreply@bankofamerica.com [mailto:noreply@bankofamerica.com]
Sent: Saturday, February 09, 2008 12:21 AM
To: ajones@riverbankconsulting.com
Subject: In response to your Abuse Inquiry

Thank you for contacting Bank of America to report a potentially fraudulent email, commonly referred to as a "phishing" email. We take your security very seriously and will investigate this matter immediately. If our investigation determines that the email is fraudulent, we will take steps to have the site shut down.

Please note that you will not receive any further response from this mailbox.

For general account inquiries, or other fraud-related events that do not include fraudulent emails, please call the customer service number located on your account statement or refer to the Reporting Fraud section of www.bankofamerica.com/privacy.

Stay safe from Phishing: Easy clues to help you keep your personal information secure.

The main goal of a phishing email is to get you to a site where you will provide your personal information. With these basic, but powerful, clues, you can easily recognize the threat and ensure the safety of your identity and finances.

1. Does the email ask you to go to a website and verify personal information? We won't ask you to verify your personal information in response to an email.
2. What is the tone of the mail? Most phish emails convey a sense of urgency by threatening discontinued service or information loss if you don't take immediate action.
3. What is the quality of the email? Many phish emails have misspellings, bad grammar, or poor punctuation.
4. Are the links in the email valid? Deceptive links in phishing emails look like they are to a valid site, but deliver you to a fraudulent one. Many times you can see if the link is legitimate by just moving your mouse over the link.
5. Is the email personalized with your name and applicable account information? Many phish emails use generic salutations and generic information (e.g. "Dear Customer" or "Dear Account Holder") instead of your name.
6. What is the sender's email address? Many phish emails come from an email address not from the company represented in the email.
7. When in doubt, type it out. If you suspect an email to be phishing, don't click on any links in the email. Type the valid address directly into your web browser.

For more information, and to enhance your anti-phishing arsenal with our free Bank of America Toolbar, please visit our Privacy & Security website at www.bankofamerica.com/privacy.
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Don't be left in the dark about internet scams like phishing. Subscribe to the SecurePCNews.com Newsletter today!

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Bank of America Email Scams Continue

Bank of America continues to be a target of internet fraudsters. Here is the latest phishing attack targeting their online banking customers.

If you receive this or a similar email be aware that following the link included in the email could result in financial and identity loses. The link takes you to a 'spoofed' of fake copy of the real Bank of America website page. Any information you type on this screen will go directly to the fraudsters, not Bank of America.

For more information about phishing visit SecurePCNews are review the article entitled "Don't get hooked by a phisher."

Following is the text of the Scam email message:

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From: Bank of America [mailto:security@bankofamerica.com]
Sent: Friday, February 08, 2008 10:00 AM
Subject: SPAM:It is all about your security.
Importance: High

[Bank of America Logo]

Verify Your Account Details
________________________________________


As part of measures of ensuring a safer and more secure Banking environment. We have re-structured our Banking servers .
Hence, we have decided to put an extra verification process to ensure your identity and account information is protected.
Please click on continue, to the verification process and ensure your Account information is entered correctly to get verified.
It is all about your security.
Thank you.

Continue To Online Banking


Bank of America, N.A. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender
© 2007 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved

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If you received an email like this, the safest thing to do is just delete it. If you have already clicked on the link you may have unknowingly downloaded a harmful PC virus. You should immediately run a full virus scan to check for spyware or anyother malware.

If you don't have anti-virus or anti-spyware software, visit our online shop for a number of brands you can purchase online and download from Office Depot.

If you provided any information such as your online banking login information or any other personal inforation you may be at risk for fraudulent financial transactions. You should immediately contact your financial institution for assistance. For information about Security and Privacy at Bank of America visit their website at https://www.bankofamerica.com/privacy/Control.do?body=privacysecur_unauthorised_acc_use#email

For more information about what to do if you think you may be the victim of a phishing email visit SecurePCNews or subscribe to the SecurePCNews.com Newsletter.

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Alert - Bank of America New eMail Scam

You may have received the following email. If so you are the target of an eMail Scam, commonly called a "Phishing" scam. Following the link included in the email could result in financial and identity loses. The link takes you to a 'spoofed' of fake copy of the real Bank of America website page. Any information you type on this screen will go directly to the fraudsters, not Bank of America.

For more information about phishing visit SecurePCNews are review the article entitled "Don't get hooked by a phisher."

Don't be left in the dark about internet scams like phishing. Subscribe to the SecurePCNews.com Newsletter today!

Following is the text of the Scam email message:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Bank Of America - Last Warning

Dear Bank Of America Customer,

During our regularly scheduled account maintenance and verification procedures,
we have detected a slight error in your account information.
To securely confirm your personal information please click on the link bellow:

http://www.bankofamerica.com/colappmgr/colportal/prospect?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=page_logonform

Confirm Your Bank Of America Account now to enjoy the benefits of
online banking and finance to avoid identity theft and fraudulent activities on
your account.

Note: THIS IS AN GENERATED MESSAGE

© 2007 Bank Of America . All rights reserved.
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If you received an email like this, the safest thing to do is just delete it. If you have already clicked on the link you may have unknowingly downloaded a harmful PC virus. You should immediately run a full virus scan to check for spyware or anyother malware.

If you don't have anti-virus or anti-spyware software, visit our online shop for a number of brands you can purchase online and download from Office Depot.

If you provided any information such as your online banking login information or any other personal inforation you may be at risk for fraudulent financial transactions. You should immediately contact your financial institution for assistance. For information about Security and Privacy at Bank of America visit their website at https://www.bankofamerica.com/privacy/Control.do?body=privacysecur_unauthorised_acc_use#email

For more information about what to do if you think you may be the victim of a phishing email visit SecurePCNews or subscribe to the SecurePCNews.com Newsletter.

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Alert - Bank of America eMail Scam

You may have received the following email. If so you are the target of an eMail Scam, commonly called a "Phishing" scam. Following the link included in the email could result in financial and identity loses. The link takes you to a 'spoofed' of fake copy of the real Bank of America website page. Any information you type on this screen will go directly to the fraudsters, not Bank of America.

For more information about phishing visit SecurePCNews are review the article entitled "Don't get hooked by a phisher."

Don't be left in the dark about internet scams like phishing. Subscribe to the SecurePCNews.com Newsletter today!

Following is the text of the Scam email message:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Bank of America - Urgent Notification


Dear Bank of America,

We recently noticed one or more attempts to log in to your Bank of America account
from a foreign IP address.

If you recently accessed your account while traveling, the unusual log in
attempts may have been initiated by you. However, if you did not initiate
the log ins, please visit Bank Of America as soon as possible to verify your
identity:

https://www.bankofamerica.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr? cmd=_login-run
Verify your identity is a security measure that will ensure that you are
the only person with access to the account.

Thanks for your patience as we work together to protect your account.

Sincerely,
Bank of America Support Team
------------------------------------------------ ----------------
&nbs p; PROTECT YOUR PASSWORD

NEVER give your password to anyone and ONLY log in at
https://www.bankofamerica.com/. Protect yourself against fraudulent websites by
opening a new web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer or Netscape) and typing
in the Bank of America URL every time you log in to your account.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Please do not reply to this e-mail. Mail sent to this address cannot be
answered. For assistance, log in to your Bank of America account and choose the
"Help" link in the header of any page.

Bank of America ID PP331

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If you received an email like this, the safest thing to do is just delete it. If you have already clicked on the link you may have unknowingly downloaded a harmful PC virus. You should immediately run a full virus scan to check for spyware or anyother malware.

If you don't have anti-virus or anti-spyware software, visit our online shop for a number of brands you can purchase online and download from Office Depot.

If you provided any information such as your online banking login information or any other personal inforation you may be at risk for fraudulent financial transactions. You should immediately contact your financial institution for assistance. For information about Security and Privacy at Bank of America visit their website at https://www.bankofamerica.com/privacy/Control.do?body=privacysecur_unauthorised_acc_use#email

For more information about what to do if you think you may be the victim of a phishing email visit SecurePCNews or subscribe to the SecurePCNews.com Newsletter.

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