Ansett
24 November 2005, 14:06
A statement from the Bank Of America's website
- you can find the original here (http://www.bankofamerica.com/privacy/index.cfm?template=privacysecur_email_fraud)
Recognizing email and website fraud
One of the most common types of email fraud is the practice of sending a phony email message, which is sometimes referred to as "phishing." Such phony emails are disguised as legitimate, and often include company logos that look real.
But they're actually from criminals who send thousands of emails at a time to random addresses. These criminals are trying to entice you to visit a phony website and provide personal and confidential information, such as online IDs and passcodes, or Social Security numbers and account numbers. Although the site may look like a bank's, it is not - which is why this practice is known as "spoofing."
The Account Manager or Money Transfer Agent is one of the newest scams. An email or an advertisement on the web tries to recruit you to be an account manager or transfer agent for a fictitious company. These scam artists steal money from an unsuspecting person's account and transfer the money into your account. Then the criminals ask you to send the money to them. The lure is that you get to keep a percentage of the money as your "commission." This opens your personal holdings to fraud - and, if your account is used in an online scheme, you can be liable for lost funds.
Spotting phony email messages is not always easy. Sometimes, they may ask you to reply directly, or provide a link that takes you to a website that appears legitimate but is not. In either case, these phony email messages generally ask you to provide sensitive personal, financial, or account information. See an example of a fraudulent email (http://www.bankofamerica.com/privacy/fraud_popup.cfm).
More tips for spotting fraudulent emails:
* Urgent appeals claim that your account may be closed if you fail to confirm, verify, or authenticate your personal information immediately. Bank of America and most other financial institutions will not ask you to verify information in this way.
* Requests for security information claim that the bank has lost important security information and needs to update it online. Bank of America and most other financial institutions will not ask you to verify information in this way.
* Typos and other errors are often the mark of fraudulent emails or websites. Be on the lookout for: typographical or grammatical errors; awkward, stilted, or inappropriate writing; and poor visual or design quality.
* Too-good-to-be-true offers are often just that. Don't get mixed up in fraudulent activity by believing emails or web advertisements that offer to help you earn money by transferring cash.
See even more simple ways to protect yourself (http://www.bankofamerica.com/privacy/index.cfm?template=privacysecur_tips).
Protecting against email and website fraud
If you receive an email claiming to be from Bank of America that appears to be suspicious, do not reply or click on the link it provides - simply delete it.
To report a suspicious email that uses Bank of America's name, you can forward it to abuse@bankofamerica.com (If you have general questions about the bank or your accounts, please go to Contact Us (http://www.bankofamerica.com/contact).)
© 2005 Bank of America Corporation.
Quoted here by Fraudwatchers.org for the convenience of people new to the internet and/or in the process of being scammed.
- you can find the original here (http://www.bankofamerica.com/privacy/index.cfm?template=privacysecur_email_fraud)
Recognizing email and website fraud
One of the most common types of email fraud is the practice of sending a phony email message, which is sometimes referred to as "phishing." Such phony emails are disguised as legitimate, and often include company logos that look real.
But they're actually from criminals who send thousands of emails at a time to random addresses. These criminals are trying to entice you to visit a phony website and provide personal and confidential information, such as online IDs and passcodes, or Social Security numbers and account numbers. Although the site may look like a bank's, it is not - which is why this practice is known as "spoofing."
The Account Manager or Money Transfer Agent is one of the newest scams. An email or an advertisement on the web tries to recruit you to be an account manager or transfer agent for a fictitious company. These scam artists steal money from an unsuspecting person's account and transfer the money into your account. Then the criminals ask you to send the money to them. The lure is that you get to keep a percentage of the money as your "commission." This opens your personal holdings to fraud - and, if your account is used in an online scheme, you can be liable for lost funds.
Spotting phony email messages is not always easy. Sometimes, they may ask you to reply directly, or provide a link that takes you to a website that appears legitimate but is not. In either case, these phony email messages generally ask you to provide sensitive personal, financial, or account information. See an example of a fraudulent email (http://www.bankofamerica.com/privacy/fraud_popup.cfm).
More tips for spotting fraudulent emails:
* Urgent appeals claim that your account may be closed if you fail to confirm, verify, or authenticate your personal information immediately. Bank of America and most other financial institutions will not ask you to verify information in this way.
* Requests for security information claim that the bank has lost important security information and needs to update it online. Bank of America and most other financial institutions will not ask you to verify information in this way.
* Typos and other errors are often the mark of fraudulent emails or websites. Be on the lookout for: typographical or grammatical errors; awkward, stilted, or inappropriate writing; and poor visual or design quality.
* Too-good-to-be-true offers are often just that. Don't get mixed up in fraudulent activity by believing emails or web advertisements that offer to help you earn money by transferring cash.
See even more simple ways to protect yourself (http://www.bankofamerica.com/privacy/index.cfm?template=privacysecur_tips).
Protecting against email and website fraud
If you receive an email claiming to be from Bank of America that appears to be suspicious, do not reply or click on the link it provides - simply delete it.
To report a suspicious email that uses Bank of America's name, you can forward it to abuse@bankofamerica.com (If you have general questions about the bank or your accounts, please go to Contact Us (http://www.bankofamerica.com/contact).)
© 2005 Bank of America Corporation.
Quoted here by Fraudwatchers.org for the convenience of people new to the internet and/or in the process of being scammed.