Scammer Gains Access to Snapchat Payroll Data After Posing as CEO

The malicious email claimed to come from CEO Evan Spiegel, and someone in Snapchat's payroll department fell for it.

By James Cook

This story originally appeared on Business Insider

Snapchat has admitted in a blog post that one of its employees fell victim to an email scam that revealed payroll information about employees to people outside of the company.

The post says that "a number of our employees have now had their identity compromised" due to the phishing scam.

A phishing scam is where an email impersonates someone else in an attempt to get information about a company or login information to a system.

In this case, Snapchat says the malicious email claimed to come from CEO Evan Spiegel, and someone in Snapchat's payroll department fell for it.

Snapchat makes it clear in its blog post that no information about users was handed out -- it was only data about people inside the company. The company says that it reported the scam to the FBI and offered affected employees two years of free identity-theft insurance and monitoring.

This isn't the first time that tech companies have been hit by a phishing scam. Business Insider reported in August that many London startups had been targeted by phishing emails that impersonated company CEOs.

Snapchat was not immediately available to comment.

James Cook

European Technology Reporter at Business Insider

James is a European Technology Reporter for Business Insider who lives in London. Before joining Business Insider, James was a Contributing Editor at The Daily Dot, and the Deputy Editor of The Kernel.

Related Topics

Editor's Pick

Everyone Wants to Get Close to Their Favorite Artist. Here's the Technology Making It a Reality — But Better.
The Highest-Paid, Highest-Profile People in Every Field Know This Communication Strategy
After Early Rejection From Publishers, This Author Self-Published Her Book and Sold More Than 500,000 Copies. Here's How She Did It.
Having Trouble Speaking Up in Meetings? Try This Strategy.
He Names Brands for Amazon, Meta and Forever 21, and Says This Is the Big Blank Space in the Naming Game
Thought Leaders

The Collapse of Credit Suisse: A Cautionary Tale of Resistance to Hybrid Work

This cautionary tale serves as a reminder for business leaders to adapt to the changing world of work and prioritize their workforce's needs and preferences.

Leadership

I Advise the Real-Life 'Logan Roys' of the World. Here's Where the 'Succession' CEO Went Wrong.

Based on my experience working with and counseling the real-life Logan Roys of the world, here are five lessons the Roy family could benefit from learning.

Cryptocurrency / Blockchain

5 Reasons Why Crypto Projects Need PR in a Bear Market

In economic downturns, companies will cut costs, tighten the belt, retreat. It's ingrained in human DNA, because those who didn't adapt didn't survive. But with both the personal and the economic, merely shrinking or hiding is not enough.

Starting a Business

Is Your Start Up Safe? Here Are 7 Reminders On How To Protect It

Your start-up company is your baby. Whether you have a company or are thinking about starting one, don't forget these seven ways that it can be easily attacked without proper precautions.

Business News

Gen Z Loves the Toyota Camry. Here's What Car Brands Boomers Love Most

S&P Global Mobility provides data on what types of each age group likes the most, based on car registration.