Last Updated on Nov 21, 2023

Do you have an account with Bank of America (BofA)? Have you ever received text messages from Bank of America about your EDD prepaid card and instruct you to click an attached link to login? Beware: DON’T click on anything — you could end up exposing your credentials!

Top 4 Bank of America Scams

Scammers will pose as Bank of America and send text messages and/or emails with phishing links, using various excuses to do so.

1. EDD Prepaid Card

Scammers will try and trick you into visiting the link in order to reactivate your Bank of America EDD (Employment Development Department) prepaid debit card:

• BANK OF AMERICA EDD: Your Bank of America EDD Prepaid Debit Card has been temporarily suspended and requires verification to activate. Please click the link below to re-activate your Bank of America EDD Prepaid Card to continue using <URL>
• employment development dept [edd]: your edd card has been temporarily suspended due to incorrect user name and password entry .to prevent account closure, please login and review account activity at: {URL}
• [BOA-09] Edd Debit card  has been put on “HOLD” status follow all steps here {URL} to reactivate your account

2. Fake Security Alert

Alternatively, they falsely claim that your account has been restricted due to some security issue:

• Bank Of America Alerts: Your debit access has been restricted due to transfers attempts. see here: <URL>
• B.0.A: We locked your debit due to irregular activity. Please visit <URL> to unlock

The scammers’ goal is to steal your personal information. After prompting you to confirm the security status of the account, they will lead you to a fake Bank of America login page. The credentials you submit here will end up in the scammers’ hands, which they can use to enter your account and take all your money. Don’t let them!

3. Fake Gifts / Offers

In other instances, scammers use free offers and gifts as a lure. Promising you some prize, scammers will prompt you to click on the link that leads to phishing websites (most of the time they are fake online survey pages).

• <Subject:ftktz>Bank Of America Hurry up! Offers Have arrived! ($$9O value). /.//storage[.]googleapis[.]com/

Fake reward scams also circulate in phishing emails:

• Bank of Amerix Congratulations, this email has only been sent to 10 customers in your area. In this way, we would like to thanks you for being here for us. You are one of the current customers to win an exclusive reward <Confirm Here> Please tell us about your Bank of Americ experiencer and as a thank you, you can select from several exclusive offer rewards! start now

4. Fake Shipment Notification

Scammers also target those who sell things online. They will impersonate potential buyers and send an email to the seller, instructing them to send the goods, falsely claiming that they have already paid with Zelle. (Of course, they’ve never paid a cent, and your goods will vanish with no trace!)

How to Protect Yourself

• Double-check the sender’s mobile number/email address.
• Free gifts or prizes are always a major red flag.
• Turn to the bank’s official website to confirm any details regarding your benefit payments.
• NEVER click links or attachments from unknown sources.
  
  The truth is, there are lots of scams and scam sites on the internet and they’re getting even more difficult to detect with common sense alone. However, for an easy and reliable method of detecting and avoiding scam sites, check out our free Trend Micro ID Protection.
  
  ID Protection can shield you from scams, fake and malware-infected websites, dangerous emails, phishing links, and lots more! If you come across something dangerous online, you’ll be alerted in real time so you’ll know to stay well clear.        

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