Illegible Fax Hijinx

A fax announcing a countdown to "Small Business Commitment Week" (left) was transmitted incorrectly to an Ashland Bank of America branch Tuesday, resulting in the image on the right which was interpreted as a bomb threat. (AP Photo)

ASHLAND -- In a scene reminiscent of the Cartoon Network bomb scare that paralyzed the Boston area in January, police shut down a strip mall yesterday in this small western suburb after employees at a Bank of America branch mistook a botched fax for a bomb threat.

Frustrated shop owners said the branch overreacted to the strange fax, which turned out to be an in-house marketing document sent by the bank's corporate office.