How to recognize fake "Human Resource Internal Memo" emails

What kind of email is "Human Resource Internal Memo"?

Our examination of this "Human Resource Internal Memo" email revealed that it is spam. This phishing message aims to trick recipients into revealing their email account log-in credentials by luring them with a fake salary compensation report.

"Human Resource Internal Memo" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Annual Payroll review" (may vary) is presented as a memo from the recipient's HR (Human Resources) department. It states that the annual salary compensation report was published. This message also claims that employees marked in red within the report have yet to fulfill their salary compensation requirements, and those highlighted in green – already have.

It must be emphasized that the information in this email is false, and this mail is not associated with the individuals or entity employing the recipient or any other legitimate companies.

When an attempt is made to review the nonexistent report, the user is redirected to a phishing website disguised as an email account sign-in page. Phishing sites work by recording provided data and sending it to scammers.

Stolen email accounts can be variously abused, including to attempt hijacking the associated accounts, services, and platforms (e.g., emails, social networking, social media, messengers, chats, entertainment, e-commerce, money transferring, online banking, digital wallets, etc.).

Scammers can then steal the account owner's identity and request loans or donations from contacts/friends/followers, endorse scams, and spread malware by sharing malicious files or links. Cyber criminals can also use hijacked finance-related accounts to make fraudulent transactions and online purchases.

In summary, victims of scam emails like "Human Resource Internal Memo" can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

If you have already entered your log-in credentials into a phishing website or file – immediately change the passwords of all possibly compromised accounts and contact their official support.

Phishing spam campaign examples

We have examined countless spam campaigns; "OneDrive - You Have A New Document", "Webmail Server", and "Cloud - Your Payment Method Has Expired" are merely a couple of our latest articles on phishing emails.

Log-in credentials, personally identifiable details, and finance-related data are the most commonly targeted information. However, various scams are promoted through spam mail, not just data phishing. It is also used to proliferate all kinds of malware.

Due to how prevalent this mail is and how well-made it can be – we highly recommend vigilance with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns proliferate malware through virulent files that are attached to or linked inside the emails/messages. These files come in various formats, e.g., archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Opening such a file can be enough to trigger the infection chain. Some formats may require additional actions to initiate malware download/installation. For example, Microsoft Office files need users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents require them to click on embedded files or links.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We strongly advise exercising caution with incoming emails and other messages. Attachments or links found in suspicious/irrelevant communications must not be opened, as they can be harmful or virulent.

It must be mentioned that malware is spread using various methods. Therefore, we recommend being vigilant when browsing since the Internet is full of deceptive and dangerous content.

Additionally, all downloads must be performed from official and verified sources. Software must be activated and updated using legitimate functions/tools provided by genuine developers, as those acquired from third-parties can contain malware.

It is essential to have a reputable antivirus installed and kept up-to-date. Security programs must be used to run regular system scans and to remove detected threats and issues. 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 "Human Resource Internal Memo" spam email letter:

Subject: Annual Payroll review

HUMAN RESOURCE INTERNAL MEMO

Memo Desk: HR Department
Endorsed by: Director of Human Resources

The HR Department has published the 2025 Annual Salary compensation Report.

It is available below

Salary Compensation Report

In the report, employees who are yet to fulfill the 2025 Annual salary compensation requirements are marked in red, and those who have fulfilled them are marked in green{ ******** }.

Should you have any inquiries, feel free to respond to this message.
Best wishes,

Unsubscribe

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Human Resource Internal Memo" spam campaign:

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Quick menu:

• What is "Human Resource Internal Memo" 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.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why did I receive this email?

Regardless of any personal or relevant information that spam emails may include, they themselves are not personal. Cyber criminals distribute these messages in large-scale campaigns – therefore, thousands of users receive identical or incredibly similar 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 – change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay. However, if you've disclosed other private information (e.g., ID card details, passport photos/scans, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact relevant authorities.

I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?

Reading an email does not pose an infection threat; devices are compromised when malicious attachments or links are opened/clicked.

I have downloaded and opened a file attached to a spam email, is my computer infected?

Whether the system was infected might depend on the format of the opened file. Executables cause infections almost without fail (upon being opened). However, some formats – like documents – may need extra interaction, such as enabling macros, clicking embedded content, or performing other actions for triggering the malware download/installation chain.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and removing practically all known malware infections. Keep in mind that performing a full system scan is essential since high-end malicious programs tend to hide deep within systems.