Twitter Scam is Latest Networking Threat
Members of networking site twitter.com were warned this week of a potential scam being issued to some users’ mailboxes, a Jan. 5th report said.
In response, Twitter has issued a warning to its users to be on the lookout for the scam, which could be dangerously easy to fall for.
Direct messages are sent to site members with such leading statements as “Hey!–check out this funny blog about you,” reports say.
Since the scam was revealed, Twitter has issued several blogs on the subject, as well as the advice, “If this has you a bit weirded out, feel free to change your Twitter password.”
A Common Avenue for ID Thieves
Other social networking sites have reported suspicious behavior in the past. Though networking is a common practice among friends, family, co-workers and potential business clients, it’s not without its dangers (see “Is Social Networking a Threat to Your Identity?”).
Like the trendy Twitter, sites such as linkedin.com, facebook.com and myspace.com receive their share of questionable activity. Though they’re all closely monitored and non-legitimate activities may result in deletion of membership, seasoned ID thieves continuously refine their techniques to worm their way into accounts–and identities.
Friend or Not?
To compound the problem, social networking sites are by their very nature, well, social…making innocent members more likely to add on “friends” they don’t truly know.
This may be more likely to happen on the venues that reinforce social attachments and numbers of contacts (such as myspace.com and twitter.com) and less common on sites that put more focus on career aims (such as linkedin.com), but not always, experts warn.
Tightening the Social Circle
For these reasons, it may be best to delete acquaintances one doesn’t know well and to decline invitations from friends-of-friends, according to crime watchers versed in the methods of internet criminals.
ID thieves are often masters at the art of “making friends”–using psychological tricks such as the “Check out this funny blog about you!” Twitter scam.
The natural reaction is to find out whether the “blog” is positive or negative, who posted it and what it actually says about the recipient…encouraging him or her to click on a link that could send a virus to the user’s computer.
Twitter Facts
Begun out of San Francisco, CA-based offices in March of 2006, Twitter is an internationally available blogging and networking site. According to Twitter’s About page, the site has “grown into a real-time short messaging service that works over multiple networks and devices.” Posts and updates (known as “tweets”) up to 140 characters in length are listed on the site by members.
Twitter.com received up to five million visitors in September 2008, according to some estimates.
