Twitter Phishing BEWARE
Lets Go Fishing/Phishing?
Twitter has become so popular, there is a phishing scam going on right now. BEWARE!!! Phishing happens when a user clicks on a unsuspicious and authentic looking link from someone they trust, (usually in an email from a friend) and the unsuspecting and trustworthy user is unknowingly redirected to a site which has been created to duplicate the look and feel, “100% the same” as the original site. The fake website disguising itself as an authentic website, will request your username and password (pin #) in order to enter the site. Often financial institutions fall victim of such a scam. However, Twitter users all over the world are currently victims of such a phishing problem. The information provided by the user, is then used by the malicious phishing scam for unauthorized transactions.
The person sending the phishing link to their friends generally are unsuspecting of such an occurrence. A user which has been infected by this malicious phishing scam, sends out URL links to their friends containing the phishing scam with catchy verbage (”hay look at this funny blog”). Usually, the unsuspecting users e-mail contact list is distributed with the malicious phishing link. However, with Twitter it appears to be our “followers” distribution list that is being utilized in the form of a DM (direct message).
As with any phishing scam, preventative measures can be followed.
1. Clear your browser cache/history (Google it if you do not know how)
2. Make sure the site your logging into doesn’t have extra characters with it. Do not enter any information into the fake URL link (see below)
3. Do not click on links asking you to “go see.”
4. If you are feeling uncomfortable and insecure about the Twitter phishing panic created, it is advisable to change your Twitter password.
Does It Matter What Twitter Client I Use?
Currently I am using TweetDeck as a Twitter client, and do not see a choice within the application to clear the cache. TweetDeck uses Adobe Air application. On a side note; I have noticed when I delete (using the garbage can icon) a column in TweetDeck (ie: DM’s), after closing the application and opening at a later date - the column which I had deleted reappears. I am just saying… If the information is never really deleted, perhaps information is being stored somehow?
TweetDeck is not to blame!
This is not an isolated issue within TweetDeck. I have reported instances occurring through the use of the Twitter Website.
When I received my first phishing DM from a follower, I clicked on the link and noticed in the URL it had that person’s name as a referral link, which was then redirected to a bogus Twitter.com website (see above).
While visiting other websites, and clicking on their authentic (like ThemeForest.com) “sponsor” pages, I have noticed the same type of referral link being redirected. Although, this was not for a “sponsor” page, I believe this information is tied into how we will continue to receive more DM messages - if you do not clear your cache/history.
Don’t Stop Reading Your DM’S
I am noticing a large hysteria on Twitter. Individuals are refusing to read their DM messages, for fear of getting a virus or something worse. This is NOT the case. You will NOT be affected by the phishing from reading your DM messages on Twitter. The only way you will be effected is if you enter your Twitter username & password in the bogus website - which was created to steal your information.
UPDATED ALERT!!!
Since this post first was wrote, I have received another phishing link. It is from someone I would trust 100% and communicate frequently with, but have not talked to in about 2 weeks because they are unavailable. I am unsure if this is a factor in who is targeted or not. My point is, this phishing scam has made even me paranoid!
It is a shame, Twitter is a place filled with valuable information freely flowing in the form of a shortened URL. Now, there is this uneasy feeling when we wish to click on a link which may be informative - or may be a malicious link.
Firefox Plugin-in Helps Detect Phishing
Firefox has a plug-in to lengthen those shortened URL’s so you can see right through them. http://www.longurlplease.com/ is the website you can use to download the Firefox “LongURLplease” plugin from.
TWEET THIS AND SAVE A FRIEND-ASAP
Now that you have been educated on what not to do - do not let this phishing scam stop you from networking with your friends. If anything, DM them with this link and stop the panic! RETWEET -> RETWEET -> and RETWEET THIS ASAP
CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD- NOW
You should not only change your password for Twitter, but if your like some trusting individuals - they use the same password for numerous accounts. Change other existing accounts which correspond to the same password used on Twitter for security sake. Better safe than sorry. Don’t be foolish and careless. It is a gut wrenching feeling to be violated, but the control is currently in your hands, so go change those passwords!
Phishing Site Created 12/16/08
Domain registration information and other relative information can be found on http://think.alifr.com/phishing-is-still-spreading website.
Help Others by Commenting
If you have any further information which may be helpful, regarding the Twitter phishing delimma - please leave a comment and share with others.
Thank you for visiting and Happy Twittering!
Just in case you think your reading a programming language or I made a typo - let me explain. In the land of “Twitter,” a user can only communicate to another user through a Twitter client. In order to communicate with another user, the “@” symbol must be in front of the user’s name (for example @chrishebert). If this is still all Greek to you, take a peek at my previous post 
Today’s WebDazzling Stars
I prefer 
Besides the whole “Twitter vs. FaceBook” debate last evening, I made friends with over a dozen new followers last evening. I don’t believe in an auto responder to follow individuals, I love the experience of visiting their profile and looking at their website and what they stand for (and how pretty their site is too). You should get into the habit of this as well. How else is anyone going to get to know you, unless you interact with one another.
