{"success":true,"data":{"pressRelease":{"id":"161904","rtpr_id":"nPn6jc0Xa-20261006","ticker":"BAC","exchange":"NYSE","all_tickers":["BAC"],"title":"As U.S. Cybercrime Losses Top $20 Billion, Bank of America Expands Fraud Education for Small Business Owners","author":"PR Newswire","published_at":"2026-10-06T13:00:00.335Z","article_body":"As U.S. Cybercrime Losses Top $20 Billion, Bank of America Expands Fraud Education for Small Business Owners\nPR Newswire\n\nCHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 6, 2026\n\nNew Educational Tools, Fraud-Prevention Resources and Webinars Aim to Help\nEntrepreneurs Protect Their Businesses From Increasingly Sophisticated Scams\n\nKey points\n\n * Bank of America is launching a fraud-awareness initiative for business owners,\nwith an updated Fraud Prevention Checklist, educational content and a new\nwebinar.\n * The initiative is designed to help small businesses recognize and respond to\nincreasingly sophisticated threats as reported U.S. internet crime losses\nreached $20.8 billion in 2025.\n * Tools and education are available to the public through Bank of America's\nCenter for Business Empowerment's Security Center\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4790115-1&h=350257537&u=https%3A%2F%2Fbusiness.bankofamerica.com%2Fen%2Fresources%2Fsecurity-information-management&a=Center+for+Business+Empowerment%27s+Security+Center)\n\n. Additional resources are available for clients, including CashPro webinars\nand a Security Meter, to help clients assess and improve account security.\nCHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As cybercrime and fraud continue\nto impose financial costs on businesses and consumers, Bank of America today\nannounced an expanded fraud-awareness initiative designed to help small\nbusiness owners better recognize threats, strengthen safeguards and respond\nmore effectively when fraud occurs.\n\n\"Fraudsters continue to evolve their tactics, making awareness and education\nmore important than ever for business owners,\" said Sharon Miller\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4790115-1&h=1407289876&u=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsroom.bankofamerica.com%2Fcontent%2Fnewsroom%2Fexecutive-bios%2Fsharon-miller.html&a=Sharon+Miller)\n, president of Business Banking. \"Many scams succeed not because a business\nlacks technology, but because criminals exploit trust, urgency and human\nbehavior. We want to help entrepreneurs better recognize red flags, strengthen\ntheir defenses and understand the steps they can take to protect their\nbusinesses.\"\n\nAccording to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, Americans filed more\nthan one million internet crime complaints in 2025, resulting in more than\n$20.8 billion in reported losses. Losses increased 26% year over year, while\nphishing and spoofing remained the most frequently reported cybercrime.\nBusiness Email Compromise schemes accounted for more than $3 billion in\nreported losses. According to the 2025 BofA Business Owner Report\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4790115-1&h=886711402&u=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsroom.bankofamerica.com%2Fcontent%2Fnewsroom%2Fpress-releases%2F2025%2F11%2Fbofa-report--74--of-small-and-mid-sized-business-owners-expect-r.html&a=2025+BofA+Business+Owner+Report)\n, 30% of business owners plan to increase cybersecurity measures as part of\ntheir digital investments over the next five years.\n\nStarting this month, which is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Bank of America\nwill highlight a range of educational tools and resources designed to help\nsmall business owners to better protect themselves against fraud and scams.\nResources available through the Center for Business Empowerment's Security\nCenter\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4790115-1&h=350257537&u=https%3A%2F%2Fbusiness.bankofamerica.com%2Fen%2Fresources%2Fsecurity-information-management&a=Center+for+Business+Empowerment%27s+Security+Center)\n include:\n\n * An updated Fraud Prevention Checklist to help business owners assess\nvulnerabilities and strengthen internal controls.\n * New and existing educational content highlighting common warning signs of\nfraud, scams and social engineering schemes.\n * A new Social Engineering and Business Email Compromise webinar (coming later\nthis Fall) designed to help business owners and employees identify fraud\ntactics and avoid becoming victims.\nOther resources and tools Bank of America offers to help clients protect their\nbusinesses include:\n\n * CashPro educational webinars, which include best practices for clients to\nemploy related to fraud prevention, payment security and cybersecurity.\n * A Security Meter available through Bank of America's online and mobile\nbanking platforms that encourages business owners to take additional actions\nto strengthen account security.\nThe initiative is part of Bank of America's broader effort to provide business\nowners with practical guidance, educational resources and digital tools that\nsupport business resilience in an increasingly complex threat environment.\nAccording to the FDIC, Bank of America has been the top U.S. lender to small\nbusinesses for 21 consecutive quarters.\n\nBank of America\n\nBank of America is one of the world's leading financial institutions, serving\nindividual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large\ncorporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and\nother financial and risk management products and services. The company\nprovides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving more than 69\nmillion clients with approximately 3,500 retail financial centers,\napproximately 15,000 ATMs (automated teller machines) and award-winning\ndigital banking with approximately 60 million verified digital users. Bank of\nAmerica is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment\nbanking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving\ncorporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. As\nthe #1 small business lender in the United States (FDIC), Bank of America\noffers industry-leading support to approximately 4 million small business\nhouseholds through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and\nservices. The company serves clients through operations across the United\nStates, its territories and more than 35 countries and/or jurisdictions. Bank\nof America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock\nExchange.\n\nFor more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other\nimportant information, visit the Bank of America newsroom\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4790115-1&h=2979856047&u=http%3A%2F%2Fnewsroom.bankofamerica.com%2F&a=Bank+of+America+newsroom)\n and register for news email alerts\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4790115-1&h=2851849230&u=http%3A%2F%2Fnewsroom.bankofamerica.com%2Falerts&a=register+for+news+email+alerts)\n.\n\nReporters may contact\n\nSusan Atran, Bank of America\nPhone: 1.646.599.3300\nsusan.atran@bofa.com (mailto:susan.atran@bofa.com)\n\n \n\nView original content to download\nmultimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/as-us-cybercrime-losses-top-20-billion-bank-of-america-expands-fraud-education-for-small-business-owners-302899297.html\n(https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/as-us-cybercrime-losses-top-20-billion-bank-of-america-expands-fraud-education-for-small-business-owners-302899297.html)\n\nSOURCE Bank of America Corporation\n\n\n\nPhoto: \nhttps://mmx.prnewswire.com/media/MS970893/Bank-of-America-Corporation-Logo.jpg?id=OA2988606\n\nCopyright (c) 2026 PR Newswire Association,LLC. All Rights Reserved.","article_body_html":"","raw_payload":{"data":{"id":"nPn6jc0Xa-20261006","title":"As U.S. Cybercrime Losses Top $20 Billion, Bank of America Expands Fraud Education for Small Business Owners","author":"PR Newswire","ticker":"BAC","created":"2026-10-06T13:00:00.335Z","tickers":["BAC"],"exchange":"NYSE","article_body":"As U.S. Cybercrime Losses Top $20 Billion, Bank of America Expands Fraud Education for Small Business Owners\nPR Newswire\n\nCHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 6, 2026\n\nNew Educational Tools, Fraud-Prevention Resources and Webinars Aim to Help\nEntrepreneurs Protect Their Businesses From Increasingly Sophisticated Scams\n\nKey points\n\n * Bank of America is launching a fraud-awareness initiative for business owners,\nwith an updated Fraud Prevention Checklist, educational content and a new\nwebinar.\n * The initiative is designed to help small businesses recognize and respond to\nincreasingly sophisticated threats as reported U.S. internet crime losses\nreached $20.8 billion in 2025.\n * Tools and education are available to the public through Bank of America's\nCenter for Business Empowerment's Security Center\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4790115-1&h=350257537&u=https%3A%2F%2Fbusiness.bankofamerica.com%2Fen%2Fresources%2Fsecurity-information-management&a=Center+for+Business+Empowerment%27s+Security+Center)\n\n. Additional resources are available for clients, including CashPro webinars\nand a Security Meter, to help clients assess and improve account security.\nCHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As cybercrime and fraud continue\nto impose financial costs on businesses and consumers, Bank of America today\nannounced an expanded fraud-awareness initiative designed to help small\nbusiness owners better recognize threats, strengthen safeguards and respond\nmore effectively when fraud occurs.\n\n\"Fraudsters continue to evolve their tactics, making awareness and education\nmore important than ever for business owners,\" said Sharon Miller\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4790115-1&h=1407289876&u=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsroom.bankofamerica.com%2Fcontent%2Fnewsroom%2Fexecutive-bios%2Fsharon-miller.html&a=Sharon+Miller)\n, president of Business Banking. \"Many scams succeed not because a business\nlacks technology, but because criminals exploit trust, urgency and human\nbehavior. We want to help entrepreneurs better recognize red flags, strengthen\ntheir defenses and understand the steps they can take to protect their\nbusinesses.\"\n\nAccording to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, Americans filed more\nthan one million internet crime complaints in 2025, resulting in more than\n$20.8 billion in reported losses. Losses increased 26% year over year, while\nphishing and spoofing remained the most frequently reported cybercrime.\nBusiness Email Compromise schemes accounted for more than $3 billion in\nreported losses. According to the 2025 BofA Business Owner Report\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4790115-1&h=886711402&u=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsroom.bankofamerica.com%2Fcontent%2Fnewsroom%2Fpress-releases%2F2025%2F11%2Fbofa-report--74--of-small-and-mid-sized-business-owners-expect-r.html&a=2025+BofA+Business+Owner+Report)\n, 30% of business owners plan to increase cybersecurity measures as part of\ntheir digital investments over the next five years.\n\nStarting this month, which is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Bank of America\nwill highlight a range of educational tools and resources designed to help\nsmall business owners to better protect themselves against fraud and scams.\nResources available through the Center for Business Empowerment's Security\nCenter\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4790115-1&h=350257537&u=https%3A%2F%2Fbusiness.bankofamerica.com%2Fen%2Fresources%2Fsecurity-information-management&a=Center+for+Business+Empowerment%27s+Security+Center)\n include:\n\n * An updated Fraud Prevention Checklist to help business owners assess\nvulnerabilities and strengthen internal controls.\n * New and existing educational content highlighting common warning signs of\nfraud, scams and social engineering schemes.\n * A new Social Engineering and Business Email Compromise webinar (coming later\nthis Fall) designed to help business owners and employees identify fraud\ntactics and avoid becoming victims.\nOther resources and tools Bank of America offers to help clients protect their\nbusinesses include:\n\n * CashPro educational webinars, which include best practices for clients to\nemploy related to fraud prevention, payment security and cybersecurity.\n * A Security Meter available through Bank of America's online and mobile\nbanking platforms that encourages business owners to take additional actions\nto strengthen account security.\nThe initiative is part of Bank of America's broader effort to provide business\nowners with practical guidance, educational resources and digital tools that\nsupport business resilience in an increasingly complex threat environment.\nAccording to the FDIC, Bank of America has been the top U.S. lender to small\nbusinesses for 21 consecutive quarters.\n\nBank of America\n\nBank of America is one of the world's leading financial institutions, serving\nindividual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large\ncorporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and\nother financial and risk management products and services. The company\nprovides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving more than 69\nmillion clients with approximately 3,500 retail financial centers,\napproximately 15,000 ATMs (automated teller machines) and award-winning\ndigital banking with approximately 60 million verified digital users. Bank of\nAmerica is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment\nbanking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving\ncorporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. As\nthe #1 small business lender in the United States (FDIC), Bank of America\noffers industry-leading support to approximately 4 million small business\nhouseholds through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and\nservices. The company serves clients through operations across the United\nStates, its territories and more than 35 countries and/or jurisdictions. Bank\nof America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock\nExchange.\n\nFor more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other\nimportant information, visit the Bank of America newsroom\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4790115-1&h=2979856047&u=http%3A%2F%2Fnewsroom.bankofamerica.com%2F&a=Bank+of+America+newsroom)\n and register for news email alerts\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4790115-1&h=2851849230&u=http%3A%2F%2Fnewsroom.bankofamerica.com%2Falerts&a=register+for+news+email+alerts)\n.\n\nReporters may contact\n\nSusan Atran, Bank of America\nPhone: 1.646.599.3300\nsusan.atran@bofa.com (mailto:susan.atran@bofa.com)\n\n \n\nView original content to download\nmultimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/as-us-cybercrime-losses-top-20-billion-bank-of-america-expands-fraud-education-for-small-business-owners-302899297.html\n(https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/as-us-cybercrime-losses-top-20-billion-bank-of-america-expands-fraud-education-for-small-business-owners-302899297.html)\n\nSOURCE Bank of America Corporation\n\n\n\nPhoto: \nhttps://mmx.prnewswire.com/media/MS970893/Bank-of-America-Corporation-Logo.jpg?id=OA2988606\n\nCopyright (c) 2026 PR Newswire Association,LLC. All Rights Reserved."},"type":"article","timestamp":"2026-10-06T13:00:00.496700827Z","server_sent_at_ms":1791291600496},"received_at":"2026-10-06T13:00:00.549Z","source_url":"https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/as-us-cybercrime-losses-top-20-billion-bank-of-america-expands-fraud-education-for-small-business-owners-302899297.html"},"analysis":{"id":"150411","press_release_id":"161904","analysis_json":{"industry":{"label":"Banks","sector":"Financials"},"redFlags":[],"eventType":"other","narrative":"Bank of America expanded its fraud-awareness initiative for small business owners, adding an updated Fraud Prevention Checklist, educational content, and a new Social Engineering and Business Email Compromise webinar.\n\nThe launch comes as FBI-reported U.S. internet crime losses reached $20.8 billion in 2025, up 26% year over year, with Business Email Compromise accounting for more than $3 billion.\n\nThe initiative is a brand and client-education effort rather than a financial event; it does not change the company's earnings outlook or capital plans.","sentiment":"neutral","agentHooks":{"shouldPost":false,"suggestedAngle":"Marketing/education initiative only -- suppress for trading workflows; context on rising fraud losses may interest banking-sector watchers."},"keyFigures":{"customDimensions":{"bec_losses_2025":"$3 billion","losses_yoy_increase":"26%","small_business_lender_streak":"21 consecutive quarters","us_internet_crime_losses_2025":"$20.8 billion"}},"quotedText":"Many scams succeed not because a business lacks technology, but because criminals exploit trust, urgency and human behavior.","namedEntities":{"people":[{"name":"Sharon Miller","role":"President of Business Banking"}],"products":["Fraud Prevention Checklist","CashPro","Security Meter","Center for Business Empowerment's Security Center"],"companies":[{"name":"Bank of America Corporation","ticker":"BAC"}],"dollarAmounts":[{"amount":"$20.8 billion","context":"reported U.S. internet crime losses in 2025 (FBI IC3)"},{"amount":"$3 billion","context":"Business Email Compromise reported losses in 2025"}]},"materialImpact":{"score":1,"reasoning":"Brand/education initiative with no financial figures, guidance, or strategic change for Bank of America. Marketing content tied to Cybersecurity Awareness Month."},"tickerRelevance":{"others":[],"primary":"BAC"},"globalImportance":10,"audienceRelevance":35,"eventTypeSecondary":[],"importanceComponents":{"tickerTier":"mega-cap household brand","eventGravity":"marketing/education initiative","householdBrandBoost":true,"financialMateriality":"none"}},"event_type":"other","event_type_secondary":null,"sentiment":"neutral","material_impact_score":1,"narrative":"Bank of America expanded its fraud-awareness initiative for small business owners, adding an updated Fraud Prevention Checklist, educational content, and a new Social Engineering and Business Email Compromise webinar.\n\nThe launch comes as FBI-reported U.S. internet crime losses reached $20.8 billion in 2025, up 26% year over year, with Business Email Compromise accounting for more than $3 billion.\n\nThe initiative is a brand and client-education effort rather than a financial event; it does not change the company's earnings outlook or capital plans.","key_figures":{"customDimensions":{"bec_losses_2025":"$3 billion","losses_yoy_increase":"26%","small_business_lender_streak":"21 consecutive quarters","us_internet_crime_losses_2025":"$20.8 billion"}},"named_entities":{"people":[{"name":"Sharon Miller","role":"President of Business Banking"}],"products":["Fraud Prevention Checklist","CashPro","Security Meter","Center for Business Empowerment's Security Center"],"companies":[{"name":"Bank of America Corporation","ticker":"BAC"}],"dollarAmounts":[{"amount":"$20.8 billion","context":"reported U.S. internet crime losses in 2025 (FBI IC3)"},{"amount":"$3 billion","context":"Business Email Compromise reported losses in 2025"}]},"model_name":"glm-5.3-flashx","prompt_hash":"sha256:5c812bd9e28b810d","schema_hash":"sha256:05005c02d9cffac9","created_at":"2026-10-06T13:00:05.649Z","global_importance":10,"audience_relevance":35,"importance_components":{"tickerTier":"mega-cap household brand","eventGravity":"marketing/education initiative","householdBrandBoost":true,"financialMateriality":"none"}},"durationMs":5072,"modelName":"glm-5.3-flashx"}}