How to recognize scams like "Bank Of America - Account Verification"

What kind of scam is "Bank Of America - Account Verification" fraudulent email?

We have analyzed the message and concluded that it is a phishing email posing as a security notification from the Bank of America. Fraudsters behind this scam email attempt to lure recipients into visiting a fake web page and entering personal details. Recipients are strongly advised not to trust emails of this type.

More about the "Bank Of America - Account Verification" scam email

This scam email, disguised as a message from Bank of America, falsely claims that the recipient's account has been locked due to suspicious activity. It urges the recipient to click a “Review Account” button and sign in using their credentials, and then enter debit card details and other requested information.

Despite appearing legitimate—with branding, disclaimers, and app references—the true goal is to steal personal data. Clicking the “Review Account” button/link directs the recipient to a fraudulent website that closely mimics the official Bank of America login page. This fake site is crafted to harvest sensitive information, such as user's login credentials and possibly other details.

Once entered, this data is sent directly to the attackers, who can then use it to access the victim’s real bank account, initiate unauthorized transactions, and (or) commit identity theft. Thus, it is important to examine emails before disclosing personal information or opening links (or files) in them.

Similar scam emails in general

Phishing emails are often disguised as important and urgent messages to trick recipients into revealing sensitive information. Also, scammers often pretend to be legitimate companies or organizations, use real logos, and include other elements to make their emails look legitimate.

To stay protected, users should avoid clicking on links or downloading attachments from unsolicited messages and always verify suspicious requests through official channels. Some examples of scam emails are "Wells Fargo - Important Security Check", "SumUp - Update Your Profile", and "Mailbox Capacity Reduced".

Sometimes, falling for such scams can lead to computer infections.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cybercriminals often use email as a method to deliver malware. One of the ways they do so is they attach malicious files. These may include infected executable files, compressed archives (such as ZIP or RAR), Microsoft Office files, PDFs, disk image files (like ISOs), script files, and others.

Opening these attachments or performing additional actions (like enabling macros in malicious Office documents) can activate the malware. Some emails may also include deceptive links that lead to fake or compromised websites, where malware is silently downloaded or users are deceived into launching it themselves.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Download software only from official websites or trusted app stores. Avoid clicking on links or opening attachments in unsolicited or irrelevant emails from unfamiliar senders. Never allow untrusted websites to show notifications, and avoid interacting with pop-ups, ads, or other questionable content found on shady websites.

Keep all your applications and operating system up to date, use reliable antivirus software, and perform regular system scans to detect potential threats. If you have already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Appearance of the "Bank Of America - Account Verification" scam email (GIF):

Text presented in the "Bank Of America - Account Verification" email letter:

Subject: Security alert: Important notice on your account

Bank of America
Transaction alert

Your Account Requires Verification.

Email Sent to: ********
Email Date: Friday, May 2, 2025 8:12 p.m. ET
Email Reason: Account Verification
Email Priority: Extremely High
We've identified potentially fraudulent activity on your account.

As a security measure, access has been temporarily locked. To restore access, please complete the verification process as soon as possible.

Important Instructions:

Click the "Review Account" button below, sign in using your User ID and password, and complete the authentication to verify your login.
Enter your debit card details and any additional requested information to proceed and avoid further verification.

Review account
Securely access your accounts with the Bank of America Mobile® app or Bank of America.com.
About this message

Bank of America Mobile® app is available for select mobile devices. Message and data rates may apply.

This service email was sent based on your alert settings. Use the Bank of America Mobile app or visit Bank of America.com/alerts to view or manage your settings.

Bank of America cannot guarantee the delivery of alerts and notifications. Wireless or internet service provider outages or other circumstances could delay them. You can always check Bank of America.com or the Bank of America Mobile app for the status of your accounts including your latest account balances and transaction details.

To protect your personal information, please don't reply to this message. Bank of America won't ask for confidential information in an email.

If you have concerns about the authenticity of this message or have questions about your account visit Bank of America.com/CustomerService for ways to contact us.

Your privacy is important to us. See our online Security Center to learn how to protect your information.

© 2025 Bank of America & Co.

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Quick menu:

• What is Bank Of America - Account Verification phishing email?
• Types of malicious emails.
• How to spot a malicious email?
• What to do if you fell for an email scam?

Types of malicious emails:

Phishing Emails

Most commonly, cybercriminals use deceptive emails to trick Internet users into giving away their sensitive private information, for example, login information for various online services, email accounts, or online banking information.

Such attacks are called phishing. In a phishing attack, cybercriminals usually send an email message with some popular service logo (for example, Microsoft, DHL, Amazon, Netflix), create urgency (wrong shipping address, expired password, etc.), and place a link which they hope their potential victims will click on.

After clicking the link presented in such email message, victims are redirected to a fake website that looks identical or extremely similar to the original one. Victims are then asked to enter their password, credit card details, or some other information that gets stolen by cybercriminals.

Emails with Malicious Attachments

Another popular attack vector is email spam with malicious attachments that infect users' computers with malware. Malicious attachments usually carry trojans that are capable of stealing passwords, banking information, and other sensitive information.

In such attacks, cybercriminals' main goal is to trick their potential victims into opening an infected email attachment. To achieve this goal, email messages usually talk about recently received invoices, faxes, or voice messages.

If a potential victim falls for the lure and opens the attachment, their computers get infected, and cybercriminals can collect a lot of sensitive information.

While it's a more complicated method to steal personal information (spam filters and antivirus programs usually detect such attempts), if successful, cybercriminals can get a much wider array of data and can collect information for a long period of time.

Sextortion Emails

This is a type of phishing. In this case, users receive an email claiming that a cybercriminal could access the webcam of the potential victim and has a video recording of one's masturbation.

To get rid of the video, victims are asked to pay a ransom (usually using Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency). Nevertheless, all of these claims are false - users who receive such emails should ignore and delete them.

How to spot a malicious email?

While cyber criminals try to make their lure emails look trustworthy, here are some things that you should look for when trying to spot a phishing email:

• Check the sender's ("from") email address: Hover your mouse over the "from" address and check if it's legitimate. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft, be sure to check if the email address is @microsoft.com and not something suspicious like @m1crosoft.com, @microsfot.com, @account-security-noreply.com, etc.
• Check for generic greetings: If the greeting in the email is "Dear user", "Dear @youremail.com", "Dear valued customer", this should raise suspiciousness. Most commonly, companies call you by your name. Lack of this information could signal a phishing attempt.
• Check the links in the email: Hover your mouse over the link presented in the email, if the link that appears seems suspicious, don't click it. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft and the link in the email shows that it will go to firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0... you shouldn't trust it. It's best not to click any links in the emails but to visit the company website that sent you the email in the first place.
• Don't blindly trust email attachments: Most commonly, legitimate companies will ask you to log in to their website and to view any documents there; if you received an email with an attachment, it's a good idea to scan it with an antivirus application. Infected email attachments are a common attack vector used by cybercriminals.

To minimise the risk of opening phishing and malicious emails we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows. 

Example of a spam email:

What to do if you fell for an email scam?

• If you clicked on a link in a phishing email and entered your password - be sure to change your password as soon as possible. Usually, cybercriminals collect stolen credentials and then sell them to other groups that use them for malicious purposes. If you change your password in a timely manner, there's a chance that criminals won't have enough time to do any damage.
• If you entered your credit card information - contact your bank as soon as possible and explain the situation. There's a good chance that you will need to cancel your compromised credit card and get a new one.
• If you see any signs of identity theft - you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission. This institution will collect information about your situation and create a personal recovery plan.
• If you opened a malicious attachment - your computer is probably infected, you should scan it with a reputable antivirus application. For this purpose, we recommend using  Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
• Help other Internet users - report phishing emails to Anti-Phishing Working Group, FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, National Fraud Information Center and U.S. Department of Justice.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why did I receive this email?

You likely received this email because your email was collected through a data breach, an unreliable website, or a similar source. Scam emails are often generic and sent in bulk, meaning every recipient receives the same message.

I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?

Immediately change any passwords that may have been exposed. If you are unable to access an account, contact the service provider to report the issue and request support.

I have downloaded and opened a file attached to an email, is my computer infected?

Malicious attachments can lead to infection when opened or otherwise engaged with, though not all will cause harm right away. The threat level depends on the file type and how the user interacts with it.

I have read the email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?

Opening an email is generally safe. In most cases, a system becomes infected only if the user interacts with malicious content.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?

Combo Cleaner can identify and remove the majority of known malware threats. However, more sophisticated infections often hide deep within the system, making a full system required for elimination.