How to avoid falling for the "Bank Of America - Unusual Activities In Account" email scam

What kind of scam is "Bank Of America - Unusual Activities In Account"?

We have inspected this email and found that it is a phishing scam. While it poses as a security alert from Bank of America, the link it contains leads to a fraudulent page intended to steal email account credentials rather than banking details. Recipients should ignore and delete the email to avoid falling victim to identity theft.

"Bank Of America - Unusual Activities In Account" email scam in detail

The email claims that Bank of America has spotted unusual activity in the recipient's account and demands that the recipient verify ownership of the account to resolve the issue. The subject line is crafted to look personal - it includes the recipient's own email address along with a date and timestamp, which can make the message feel as if it was sent specifically for that person.

Despite the Bank of America branding, the link text - "Read New-Mailbox Received for [recipient's name]" - reveals the true nature of the scam. Instead of leading to a fake bank login page, the linked website was most likely a fraudulent email webmail portal designed to collect email account passwords. Campaigns of this type sometimes tailor the fake login page to match the victim's email provider based on their email domain - showing a fake Gmail interface for Gmail users, a fake Outlook page for Outlook users, and so on.

Email account credentials are especially attractive to criminals. With access to someone's email inbox, scammers can reset passwords for linked accounts (including bank accounts), read private communications, lock the original owner out, and impersonate the victim when contacting friends or family.

It should be noted that Bank of America has no connection to this campaign. The bank's name is being misused purely to make the message seem alarming and credible. Legitimate bank notifications do not send customers to an email webmail page or ask them to verify account ownership through a generic link.

Examples of similar scams

This email is a phishing scam that uses a Bank of America security alert as a pretext to direct victims to a fraudulent login page and steal their email credentials. It should be deleted without clicking any links. In some variants of campaigns like this, malware may also be distributed through attached files.

More examples of similar scam emails are "American Express - Merchant Credit/Payment Approval", "American Express Added To Apple Pay", and "Intuit QuickBooks Subscription Is Due For Renewal".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Malware is frequently distributed via email by hiding it inside attachments or behind download links. Attackers use a variety of file types for this purpose - executable files, Office documents, PDF files, archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), and scripts. Depending on the file type, the malware may activate the moment the file is opened, or it may require the user to take an extra step, such as enabling malicious macro commands in a document.

Links in spam emails can be just as dangerous as attachments. Clicking one may silently download a malicious file in the background, or it may lead to a page that persuades the user to install something harmful manually. In either case, the infection depends on user interaction - which is why these emails are engineered to appear legitimate and urgent.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Treat unexpected emails with caution, especially those that urge immediate action, request login credentials, or come from a sender whose address does not match the claimed organization. When in doubt, navigate to the relevant website directly by typing its address into the browser rather than clicking any link in the email.

Only download software and updates from official websites or verified app stores. Pirated software, unauthorized "cracks", and key generators are a common vehicle for trojans and other malware. Keeping the operating system and all installed applications updated also closes known security gaps that attackers frequently exploit.

A reputable antivirus program adds another layer of defense and can catch threats that slip past other precautions. If you have already clicked a suspicious link or opened an unexpected attachment, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate any malware that may have been installed.

Text presented in the "Bank Of America - Unusual Activities In Account" email letter:

Subject: Notification Of Account_5/18/2026 For ********..!! -(Received-2:09:23 PM)

Bank Of America

Dear Valued User,
We Noticed Some Unusual-Activies In Account For Some Security Reasons.!
Kindly Verify Ownership Of Account with ******** Below;

[Read New-Mailbox Received for ********]

BOA Management.
Thanks for choosing Bank Of America.

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Quick menu:

• What is Bank Of America - Unusual Activities In Account phishing scam?
• 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?

These messages are sent in bulk to large lists of addresses, not to specific individuals. Scammers compile address lists using methods such as data breaches, fake websites, and purchased databases, so receiving this email does not mean you were singled out.

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

If you entered your email password, change it immediately and do the same for any other accounts that use the same or a similar password. Enable two-factor authentication wherever possible. If banking or identification details were also disclosed, contact the relevant institutions and report the incident to the appropriate authorities without delay.

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

Possibly, though it depends on the file type. Executable files can compromise a system almost immediately upon opening. Document formats such as Word or PDF files typically need the user to take an additional action - like enabling macros or confirming a prompt - before the malware can run.

I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?

No. Simply reading an email does not cause an infection. A computer can only be compromised if the user actively opens an attachment, clicks a malicious link, or otherwise interacts with harmful content inside the message.

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

Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and removing the vast majority of known malware. That said, sophisticated threats can sometimes conceal themselves deep within the system, so running a complete system scan is strongly recommended to ensure nothing is missed.