A bank site opened up, and the customer was asked for personal information and a password. Only this site wasn't the legitimate Bank of America's. The site is now shut down, and the FBI is looking into the matter.
Theories are plentiful.
Bank of America declined to comment on the case. But this is not the only mistaken-identity case involving bank sites. In July, the OCC took the unusual step of issuing a regulatory alert on the subject to the banks under its supervision. Although it's not clear how easy it is to spoof, Internet banking is growing rapidly, and customers' trust is a must for doing business online. The shift is nationwide, reports Cyber Dialogue, an Internet customer relationship management company.