Avoid getting scammed by "Social Security Account Missing Information" email
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "Social Security Account Missing Information"?
After investigating the "Social Security Account Missing Information" spam email, we determined that it operates as a phishing scam. Allegedly, this letter regards the recipient's social security documentation, which is in an attachment.
The attached file is "encrypted" and requires the user to log in with their email account to access it. The log-in credentials entered into the file are recorded and sent to the scammers behind the "Social Security Account Missing Information" spam campaign.
"Social Security Account Missing Information" email scam overview
The email with the subject "Your Social Security Document is now available" (may vary) informs the recipient that their social security account is missing information. The documentation in question is supposedly attached to the letter, and it has been encrypted for security purposes.
The recipient is asked to review the documents for accuracy and notify the sender about any errors or necessary changes. The email states that the file uses multi-factor authentication and instructs the recipient to sign in using their mail account to access it.
When we downloaded and opened the attachment, the HTML file was presented as an encrypted PDF document. This file instructed the user to sign in with their email in order to decrypt it.
As mentioned in the introduction, the "Social Security Account Missing Information" email is fake, as is its attachment. Hence, any information entered into the phishing file will be disclosed to scammers.
Cyber criminals may also be able to steal the content registered via the exposed email. For example, scammers can steal the identities of social account owners (e.g., email, social media, social networking, messenger, forum, etc.) and ask the contacts/friends/followers for loans, promote scams, and/or proliferate malware by sharing malicious files/links.
Furthermore, hijacked finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, money transferring, e-commerce, digital wallets, etc.) can be used to make unauthorized transactions and online purchases.
To summarize, through emails like "Social Security Account Missing Information" – users can experience system infections, serious privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.
If you have already provided account credentials – immediately change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and contact their official support.
| Name | "Social Security Account Missing Information" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Recipient's social security account is missing data, and they must review the attached documentation. |
| Attachment(s) | SocialSecurityAdministrationSecuDept.htm (filename may vary) |
| Detection Names (attachment) | Fortinet (HTML/Phish.2E3F!phish), Google (Detected), Ikarus (Phishing.HTML.Doc), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Symptoms | Unauthorized online purchases, changed online account passwords, identity theft, illegal access of the computer. |
| Distribution methods | Deceptive emails, rogue online pop-up ads, search engine poisoning techniques, misspelled domains. |
| Damage | Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft. |
| Malware Removal (Windows) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
Phishing spam campaign examples
We have inspected countless spam emails; "You Have Delayed Messages", "New Shared Documents", "Anti-Fraud International Monitoring Group Compensation", and "Mail Server Upgrade" are merely a few examples of phishing campaigns.
In addition to various scams, deceptive mail is used to proliferate trojans, ransomware, and other malware. These letters can be variously disguised and employ social engineering to gain and subsequently abuse recipients' trust.
Due to how widespread and well-crafted spam mail can be, we highly recommend being careful with incoming emails, SMSes, PMs/DMs, and other messages.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Spam campaigns distribute malware through infectious files that can be attached to or linked inside the emails. These files can be executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), Microsoft Office and PDF documents, JavaScript, and so forth.
When a virulent file is executed, run, or otherwise opened – the infection process (i.e., malware download/installation) is jumpstarted. For example, Microsoft Office documents infect systems by executing malicious macro commands.
How to avoid installation of malware?
We strongly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails and other messages. The attachments or links found in suspicious mail – must not be opened, as they can be malicious and cause system infections.
We advise using post-2010 Microsoft Office versions since they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic macro execution.
It is noteworthy that malware is proliferated using various methods. Therefore, we recommend downloading only from official and verified sources. Furthermore, all programs must be activated and updated using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters can contain malware.
It is just as important to exercise caution when browsing since fake and dangerous online content typically appears harmless.
We must emphasize that having a dependable anti-virus installed and kept updated is essential to device and user safety. Security software must be used to run regular system scans and to remove detected threats. If you've already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.
Text presented in the "Social Security Account Missing Information" spam email letter:
Subject: Your Social Security Document is now available
Hello :
Your Social Security account seem to be missing some information. For your security the document required to address this issue has been securely uploaded and attached to your email.
We encourage you to check your document and review the information :
Your earnings record (to make sure it’s accurate and notify us if you see any errors);
Your personalized monthly retirement benefit estimates (which now display how much you can expect to receive depending on when you decide to start your benefits between ages 62 and 70);
Other useful information that will explain your benefits and help you prepare for your financial future; and
New fact sheets that provide additional information based on your specific age group and earnings situation.
You can access your new Statement by signing into your account at socialsecurity.gov/reviewyourstatement.
For your protection, we use multi-factor authentication to make sure, only you can access your account. When you sign in, you will complete two steps:
Step 1: Enter your Email and password.
Now that you can access your Statement instantly and anytime online, we will not automatically send one by mail.
We hope you find your new Statement useful and informative.
Screenshot of the phishing file distributed via this spam campaign ("SocialSecurityAdministrationSecuDept.htm" filename):
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why did I receive this email?
Cyber criminals distribute spam mail in massive campaigns – therefore, thousands of users receive identical emails.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this spam email, what should I do?
If you have provided your log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and inform their official support. And if you've disclosed other private data to scammers (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) – contact the appropriate authorities without delay.
I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
No, merely opening/reading an email will not initiate any malware download/installation processes. Systems are infected when malicious attachments or links found in spam mail are opened/clicked.
I have downloaded and opened a file attached to a spam email, is my computer infected?
Whether the device was infected might depend on the opened file's format. If it was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes. However, documents (.doc, .xls, .pdf, etc.) might need additional actions (e.g., enabling macro commands) to begin downloading/installing malware.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and eliminating nearly all known malware infections. It must be mentioned that since sophisticated malicious programs usually hide deep within systems – performing a full system scan is essential.
Instant automatic malware removal:
Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
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Quick menu:
- What is "Social Security Account Missing Information" phishing email?
- Types of malicious emails.
- How to spot a malicious email?
- What to do if you fell for an email scam?
Types of malicious emails:
Phishing Emails
Most commonly, cybercriminals use deceptive emails to trick Internet users into giving away their sensitive private information, for example, login information for various online services, email accounts, or online banking information.
Such attacks are called phishing. In a phishing attack, cybercriminals usually send an email message with some popular service logo (for example, Microsoft, DHL, Amazon, Netflix), create urgency (wrong shipping address, expired password, etc.), and place a link which they hope their potential victims will click on.
After clicking the link presented in such email message, victims are redirected to a fake website that looks identical or extremely similar to the original one. Victims are then asked to enter their password, credit card details, or some other information that gets stolen by cybercriminals.
Emails with Malicious Attachments
Another popular attack vector is email spam with malicious attachments that infect users' computers with malware. Malicious attachments usually carry trojans that are capable of stealing passwords, banking information, and other sensitive information.
In such attacks, cybercriminals' main goal is to trick their potential victims into opening an infected email attachment. To achieve this goal, email messages usually talk about recently received invoices, faxes, or voice messages.
If a potential victim falls for the lure and opens the attachment, their computers get infected, and cybercriminals can collect a lot of sensitive information.
While it's a more complicated method to steal personal information (spam filters and antivirus programs usually detect such attempts), if successful, cybercriminals can get a much wider array of data and can collect information for a long period of time.
Sextortion Emails
This is a type of phishing. In this case, users receive an email claiming that a cybercriminal could access the webcam of the potential victim and has a video recording of one's masturbation.
To get rid of the video, victims are asked to pay a ransom (usually using Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency). Nevertheless, all of these claims are false - users who receive such emails should ignore and delete them.
How to spot a malicious email?
While cyber criminals try to make their lure emails look trustworthy, here are some things that you should look for when trying to spot a phishing email:
- Check the sender's ("from") email address: Hover your mouse over the "from" address and check if it's legitimate. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft, be sure to check if the email address is @microsoft.com and not something suspicious like @m1crosoft.com, @microsfot.com, @account-security-noreply.com, etc.
- Check for generic greetings: If the greeting in the email is "Dear user", "Dear @youremail.com", "Dear valued customer", this should raise suspiciousness. Most commonly, companies call you by your name. Lack of this information could signal a phishing attempt.
- Check the links in the email: Hover your mouse over the link presented in the email, if the link that appears seems suspicious, don't click it. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft and the link in the email shows that it will go to firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0... you shouldn't trust it. It's best not to click any links in the emails but to visit the company website that sent you the email in the first place.
- Don't blindly trust email attachments: Most commonly, legitimate companies will ask you to log in to their website and to view any documents there; if you received an email with an attachment, it's a good idea to scan it with an antivirus application. Infected email attachments are a common attack vector used by cybercriminals.
To minimise the risk of opening phishing and malicious emails we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
Example of a spam email:
What to do if you fell for an email scam?
- If you clicked on a link in a phishing email and entered your password - be sure to change your password as soon as possible. Usually, cybercriminals collect stolen credentials and then sell them to other groups that use them for malicious purposes. If you change your password in a timely manner, there's a chance that criminals won't have enough time to do any damage.
- If you entered your credit card information - contact your bank as soon as possible and explain the situation. There's a good chance that you will need to cancel your compromised credit card and get a new one.
- If you see any signs of identity theft - you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission. This institution will collect information about your situation and create a personal recovery plan.
- If you opened a malicious attachment - your computer is probably infected, you should scan it with a reputable antivirus application. For this purpose, we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
- Help other Internet users - report phishing emails to Anti-Phishing Working Group, FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, National Fraud Information Center and U.S. Department of Justice.
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