Messages warn of account suspensions
A flurry of text messages to Central New Yorkers on Saturday morning, warn that Bank of America accounts are being suspended, and urge the recipients to call for more information. The problem: many of those who called Action News say they don't have Bank of America accounts. And, the text messages use their cell phone minutes.
Action News contacted Bank of America. Diane Wagner, senior vice president of media relations, says they are aware of the text message activity and have identified it as potentially fraudulent. Wanger says, "As with phishing, criminals often will send blanket messages to entire sets of phone numbers or e-mails hoping to find a legitimate customer, who will then fall for the scam and provide personal information. Bank of America systems and customer information have not been compromised by this fraud attempt and did not reveal customers' e-mail addresses or phone numbers as a result of this activity."
Wagner says customers receiving these messages can either send them to abuse@bankofamerica.com, or delete the message. She says customer should not contact the number or provide any account details that are requested.
