Here is an email that I received today that got through yahoo’s spam blocker, looks legitimate, and appears to come from Bank of America but it is totally a scam. Important things to note:

• Bank of America would NEVER have a contact email address at GMAIL
• The “contact” at Bank of America would provide their FULL NAME
• Of course google maps can’t even map the fake branch address provided

Please do not believe for a second that you will actually get a single penny from this scammer. Idiots that send out garbage like this deserve jail time for preying on hard working Americans especially in such tough economic times. I forwarded these emails to abuse [at] bankofamerica [dotcom] and abuse [at] gmail [dotcom].

I also have heard about this same type of scam targeting older folks (senior citizens) but coming through normal US mail. They ask for some money as a fee in return for some large sum of money. While I believe that most people are not gullible enough to believe this I do want to put this out there so people are aware of these horrible scams.

***************** WARNING SCAM EMAIL BELOW *****************

(apparently) FROM: customerservice@bankofamerica.com SUBJECT: Bank of America Alerts: Confirmation of Telegraphic Wire Transfer This email was sent to you by Bank of America. To ensure delivery to your inbox, please add customerservice@bankofamerica.com to your address book or safe sender list.

Bank of America
Corporate Headquarters
100 North Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28255
BANK OF AMERICA ONLINE NOTIFICATION This message is to officially inform you that on Friday, February 6, 2009, we received a Telegraphic Wire Transfer of $450,090.00 from the United States Government as your compensatory grant for the current economic hardship.
Please be aware that this compensatory grant has been deposited into an escrow account at Bank of America/Alabama branch office and is available for remittance immediately.
The standard payment procedure is as follows:- The funds will be wired into any bank account of your choice by Bank of America and the time frame for delivery is 24-48 hrs.
It is mandatory that you activate the escrow account by making a one-time payment of $500.00 via the western union money transfer or money gram to enable the wire transfer function of the escrow account.
Please Note: The Escrow Account Activation Fee could not be deducted from your funds as your funds are protected by a Federal Government Premium Hardcover Insurance Policy installed to prevent any deductions from your funds.
The fee must be paid by you via the western union money transfer network or money gram to the payment secretary at branch office in Alabama. CONTACT BANK OF AMERICA PAYMENT SECRETARY IN ALABAMA TO RETRIEVE THE INFORMATION ON HOW TO PAY THE ESCROW ACCOUNT ACTIVATION FEE IMMEDIATELY: PAYMENT SECRETARY: Ms. Pell BRANCH OFFICE: 77 Crow Drive, Birmingham, AL 35201 CONTACT E-MAIL: paysecretary@gmail.com UPON CONFIRMATION OF PAYMENT OF THE ESCROW ACCOUNT ACTIVATION FEE, YOUR FUNDS WILL BE WIRED DIRECTLY INTO ANY BANK ACCOUNT OF YOUR CHOICE AND THE TIME FRAME FOR DELIVERY IS 24-48 HRS. The remittance procedure can only be completed through the payment secretary. This notification is for information purposes only.
Please do not reply to this message.

Sincerely,

Bank of America Contact us about this email
Please do not reply to this email. If you have any questions, please contact the official in charge.

Privacy and Security
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Bank of America Email, 8th Floor, 101 South Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28255. Bank of America, N.A. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender
© 2009 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.

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Scams