In the News
Spam accounts and phishing attempts continue to trick users into falling prey to financial scams. In Twitter Users Bilked out of Big Money by Elon Musk Clones, Tara Seals describes how scam users on Twitter have been impersonating famous individuals and using their likeness to obtain large sums of money from unsuspecting followers. Seals explains that tens of thousands of dollars a day can be stolen from users as a result of these scams. Seals highlights the need for action from the platforms company to remove the scam users before they find their targets and cause financial damage.
Our Take
We’ve all heard of the Nigerian prince, but e-mail is not the only social engineering vector. Everyday users of social media platforms trust the posts of people they look up to and admire, often times celebrities or persons of influence, and are familiar with the trend of online fundraising. Cloning of friends and other familiar faces is an easy way for attackers to gain a follower or friend just long enough to take advantage of the trust relationship–to steal data, to request money, or to prompt for a link click or download.
Recommendations
So how can you protect yourself from falling prey to a social media scam?
- Resist clicking on posts or ads that are too good to be true, promising money or fame for very little effort
- Understand that there is always a possibility that a post or a link, even from a credible source, is not actually their post
- Research links or campaigns via Google rather than clicking on links, where possible
- If you believe you are already friends with someone, do not accept additional friend requests from them: check the page to see if it appears to be an active profile, or if it just has their picture and a few friends
- Monitor your finances closely to catch suspicious activity as soon as possible