A wolf in Bank of America’s clothing. That’s what many media members found in their inbox this week as a fake press release made the rounds touting
yourbofa.com.
The site has all the trappings of a Bank of America-sponsored venture, but the content is clearly an attempt to damage the brand. As
The Wall Street Journal points out: “It bears all the hallmarks of the recent Occupy protests against the bank. The site appears to take issue with BofA for ‘funding coal’ and for not paying taxes in 2010, a year it lost money. There are also several snide remarks about mortgages.”
[READ: For corporate news, journalists still prefer press releases]
The fake press release has become the tool of choice for the resistance in the Digital Age, and it’s becoming tough for companies to defend against them—especially when they bear the branding, font and logos of the companies in question.
For a full explanation of what happened and the fallout, visit
Forbes.