Beware: 'Ensuring Social Security' Facebook Phishing Scams Hijack Personal Information

One of the many simple lessons of life in America is to guard your social security number. This rule tends to go fade away when someone is asked to enter their social security number on some type of 'official' form, when applying for something or when you are gullible enough to think that a mandatory verification process for Facebook Fan Pages deserves your undivided attention.

In the latest outrageous Facebook scam, spammers are spreading a well-executed verification page claiming to be instituted by Facebook for 'Ensuring Social Security' as the page says at the top as shown in Figure 1 below. They are doing this through hijacked Facebook Fan Pages that they have mutilated and constantly sharing scam-laced posts. What has been discovered by Symantec, is a clever phishing page claiming that any Fan Page not verified before 5/30/2013 on the billion-user-strong social network will be shut down. These pages root from compromised and hijacked Facebook Fan Pages.

Figure 1. Facebook Phishing Page from hackers asking for personal information and social security number

The phishing page was designed by scammers who took time to add serious attention to detail in making it seem as if Facebook needs to verify who you are by asking for your name, address, email, Facebook password and social security number. The phishers even took the steps to use SSL, a language to display the page securely so some users may think that it is a legitimately secure form to fill out over the internet.

If any user enters the pertinent information on the clever phishing page, they are then presented with a message that they will be notified within 48 hours when the verification process is completed. We obviously know without a doubt that the personal information entered does not go to Facebook, or any other legitimate entity for that matter. The data goes to the cybercrooks behind this scam where you would then be at a serious risk for identity theft because crafty cybercriminals now have enough personal information to really wreck your life.

Most people wouldn't suspect Facebook to ask for your social security number. Researchers identified this particular campaign back in May but suspect new ones are currently circulating and aggressively seeking new victims through compromised or hijacked Facebook Fan Pages.