Final answer:
A fake email sent to HR, seemingly from an organization's executive, requesting sensitive information such as Social Security numbers, salary, and dates of birth is known as a phishing scam.
Step-by-step explanation:
The type of scam described, where a fake email is sent from an organization's executive requesting sensitive information, is known as a phishing scam. Phishing scams are designed to trick individuals into revealing personal or financial information by impersonating a trusted entity. In this case, the scammer is pretending to be an executive to gain access to sensitive data such as Social Security numbers, salary, and dates of birth.