January 03, 2010
Social Security Scam Email
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Social Security Scam Email
This email appears to be sent from "Social Security Administration" and claims that your annual Social Security statement may contain errors. It urges you to click a link in the message so that you can review a copy of your statement and look for possible calculation errors.The email is a scam and is not from Social Security Administration. It is designed to collect social security numbers and fool you into installing a trojan that will steal information from your computer.
If you click on the link you will be taken to a fake website designed to look like the genuine United States Social Security Online website.
You are first asked to enter your Social Security Number and then click a "Continue" button, upon which you will be taken to a second fake webpage where you will be instructed to click another button that will supposedly generate your annual Social Security statement.
By clicking the button however you do not generate a statement, but instead download a trojan called the Zbot.P trojan. Once it is installed on your computer, the trojan can collect information such as your passwords and send them to Internet criminals.
Scammers often use government department names on their emails in an attempt to trick you into giving up personal information or downloading malware.
Always be wary of unsolicited email from government departments if they are asking you to enter private information. If you need to access the government department's website, do so by typing the address into your browser's address bar, instead of clicking a link.
Remember - always watch for scams!
Steve