# Anyone getting odd texts from Bank of America? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 12, 2020, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-getting-odd-texts-from-bank-of-america/925463 "2020-11-12T21:07:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2020, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-getting-odd-texts-from-bank-of-america/925463/1 "2020-11-12T21:07:12Z")
I have a credit card through BofA - have had it for over 40 years (through other incarnations of banks which eventually got acquired by them). I keep it because it’s convenient to have a spare card, and also it really increases the average of my accounts! Over the past few days, I’ve gotten frequent text messages from them: Every afternoon this week, in fact, except yesterday which was Veteran’s Day (as in, banks closed). ``` BofA: Financial centers in your area may be temporarily closed or hours may be modified. For latest info, visit our website. TextSTOPtoStop" ``` That last bit, with no spaces, is verbatim. It comes from a 6-digit number vs a real phone number but that’s not a big deal, I have numerous text alerts for other purposes that look like that. There’s no link. Any idea what on earth this is about? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2020, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-getting-odd-texts-from-bank-of-america/925463/2 "2020-11-12T21:11:52Z")
There’s nothing on BoA’s website about closed financial centers. [It’s a scam.](https://www.bankofamerica.com/security-center/avoid-bank-scams/) > Don’t respond: If you’re not 100% certain of the source of the call, email or text, then hang up the phone, don’t click on the link in the email and don’t reply to the text message. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2020, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-getting-odd-texts-from-bank-of-america/925463/3 "2020-11-12T21:13:09Z")
nm… ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2020, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-getting-odd-texts-from-bank-of-america/925463/4 "2020-11-12T21:15:16Z")
I’ve been getting and ignoring them as well. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2020, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-getting-odd-texts-from-bank-of-america/925463/5 "2020-11-12T21:20:34Z")
[# The Verification Code scam](https://computertutorflorida.com/2019/01/the-verification-code-scam/) > We’ve all become pretty accustomed to verification codes. If a company or website needs to verify your identity, they will commonly send a text message with a 6-digit verification code, which you then need to enter on the website to prove that you are the person you say you are. (Really, it just proves that you have access to that person’s phone, but usually that’s good enough). > > But now, the scammers are using the verification code process for their own nefarious purposes. Specifically, they want to create new online accounts, such as a Craigslist account, using YOUR phone number. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2020, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-getting-odd-texts-from-bank-of-america/925463/6 "2020-11-12T21:26:37Z")
Don’t respond, absolutely no reason to respond. But many Bank of America locations have closed for the duration of the pandemic. My local branch is one. Only the ATM is available. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2020, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-getting-odd-texts-from-bank-of-america/925463/7 "2020-11-12T21:30:56Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > But many Bank of America locations have closed for the duration of the pandemic. - But they wouldn’t send out texts about it months after the fact. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2020, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-getting-odd-texts-from-bank-of-america/925463/8 "2020-11-12T21:32:20Z")
Fair enough, but I thought in many states the shutdowns were only beginning now? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2020, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-getting-odd-texts-from-bank-of-america/925463/9 "2020-11-12T21:34:29Z")
I just checked back in my emails and I had two from my bank in early March as to changes they were making because of COVID. I would think BofA would email such a notice rather than texting. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2020, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-getting-odd-texts-from-bank-of-america/925463/10 "2020-11-12T21:51:51Z")
I actually called BofA and the person I spoke with said they were not aware of such messages; she gave me an email to send the text message to. What’s the scam, though? Is it just a way to verify they’ve hit an actual phone number? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2020, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-getting-odd-texts-from-bank-of-america/925463/11 "2020-11-12T21:54:40Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > I actually called BofA and the person I spoke with said they were not aware of such messages; she gave me an email to send the text message to. > > What’s the scam, though? Is it just a way to verify they’ve hit an actual phone number? Probably this. > [@running\_coach](#): > > [# The Verification Code scam](https://computertutorflorida.com/2019/01/the-verification-code-scam/) > > > We’ve all become pretty accustomed to verification codes. If a company or website needs to verify your identity, they will commonly send a text message with a 6-digit verification code, which you then need to enter on the website to prove that you are the person you say you are. (Really, it just proves that you have access to that person’s phone, but usually that’s good enough). > > > > But now, the scammers are using the verification code process for their own nefarious purposes. Specifically, they want to create new online accounts, such as a Craigslist account, using YOUR phone number. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2020, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-getting-odd-texts-from-bank-of-america/925463/12 "2020-11-13T17:30:59Z")
Interesting. I’d like to believe I would not fall for the verification code scam as described. The BofA texts are still puzzling. Aside from validating that they’ve hit a real phone number (if I did the STOP text), there’s no other way they could be abused as far as I can tell. No clickable link. No verification code. An annoyance I’ve spotted with other scam texts: I’ll see the text pop up - and a MESSAGE READ request is automatically sent. I can’t control that on my end, it is only controlled by the sender. That’s a bit horrifying, that we cannot control that. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2020, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-getting-odd-texts-from-bank-of-america/925463/13 "2020-11-13T19:40:17Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Aside from validating that they’ve hit a real phone number (if I did the STOP text), there’s no other way they could be abused as far as I can tell. No clickable link. No verification code. I am a BoA customer and have not received any of these. The only reason I can imagine is that the are somehow harvesting phone numbers by recording the STOP responses, and then maybe selling the lists to robocallers or something. I don’t know how that message or a STOP reply per se would be unsafe. But my carrier has a feature where I can report texts as spam, which is what I would do. > [@](#): > > An annoyance I’ve spotted with other scam texts: I’ll see the text pop up - and a MESSAGE READ request is automatically sent. I can’t control that on my end, it is only controlled by the sender. That’s a bit horrifying, that we cannot control that. I do not see that, and I cannot tell if someone else read one of my messages (Android phone). Are you in the Appleverse? ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-getting-odd-texts-from-bank-of-america/925463/14 "2020-11-16T04:28:14Z")
I’m also on Android. When I first spotted this, the only thing I could find to do is on the sender’s side, though some more googling suggests I can do something about it on my side as well (though I have not tested it yet).