Posted
on Wednesday, May 21, 2025
in
Privacy & Security
Scam of the Week: Device Code Hijacking
In this week's scam, you receive an email that appears to be from the United States (US) Social Security Administration (SSA), a retirement program run by the US government. The email says your SSA financial statement is now available. It even has an official SSA logo and provides instructions for viewing your statement by downloading an attachment.
However, the email isn’t actually from the SSA. Downloading the attachment installs software that lets cybercriminals access your computer. This software allows them to take full control of your device and steal your personal information, banking details, and private files. They can then use this information to steal your identity and commit financial fraud!
Follow these tips to avoid falling victim to a phishing scam:
-
Never download attachments from unexpected emails. Remember that real government agencies typically communicate sensitive information through paper mail, not email.
-
Check the sender's email address carefully. Scammers often use sender addresses taht look similar to official ones but have small differences.
-
While this scam targets users in the US, remember that cybercriminals can use similar tricks worldwide. Always stop and think before you click!
Article provided by:
- account security
- ai
- artificial intelligence
- cyberattack
- cybercriminal
- cybersecurity
- data leak
- digital
- false information
- fraud
- malware
- money
- phishing
- phone
- ransomware
- red flags
- scam
- security
- sensitivity
- text