Tweet
Many types of scams can ensnare users by preying on an aspect of human nature that entices people to investigate or do something they would not normally do.
These things could be one of the following...
Secret Details about <Some Celebrity's> Death
This type of post feeds on people's insatiable desire or need for information regarding famous people.
I'm Stranded in a Foreign Country - Please Send Money
These types of scams target users by claiming that the message is form someone they know who is trapped without money in a foreign country or bad situation. The scammer says they will gladly pay the money back when they get home. Once the victim's trust is heightened to the point of sending money, the scammer comes up with plausible reasons to ask for increasingly larger amounts, eventually fleecing the victim for much more money.
Did You See This Picture of <Some Celebrity>?
Both Facebook and Twitter have been plagued by phishing scams that involve a question that piques your curiosity and then directs the victim to a fake login screen, where the victim inadvertently reveal the Facebook or Twitter password.
Test Your IQ
This type of scam attracts the victim with a quiz. After the victim take the quiz, the victim is encouraged to enter personal information info a form to get the result. In other cases, the scam encourages the victim to join an expensive service, but the price appears only in very small print.
Tweet for Cash
This scam takes many forms. "Make money on Twitter!" and "Tweet for profit!" are two common come-ons that security analysists say they've seen lately. This kind of scam preys on user's greed and curiosity, but in the end they lose money or their identities.
Ur Cute. Msg Me!
The sexual solicitation is a technique spammers have been trying for years via e-mail and is one that has proven wildly successful. In later versions of this ruse, tweets feature scantily clad women and include a message embedded in the image, rather than in the tweet itself.
Amber Alert Issued!
This one is more of a hoax. Amber alerts are pasted into status updates that turn out to be untrue. Although such attacks don't gain information, they are designed to cause panic an concern as well as increase traffic among recipients.
These things could be one of the following...
Secret Details about <Some Celebrity's> Death
This type of post feeds on people's insatiable desire or need for information regarding famous people.
I'm Stranded in a Foreign Country - Please Send Money
These types of scams target users by claiming that the message is form someone they know who is trapped without money in a foreign country or bad situation. The scammer says they will gladly pay the money back when they get home. Once the victim's trust is heightened to the point of sending money, the scammer comes up with plausible reasons to ask for increasingly larger amounts, eventually fleecing the victim for much more money.
Did You See This Picture of <Some Celebrity>?
Both Facebook and Twitter have been plagued by phishing scams that involve a question that piques your curiosity and then directs the victim to a fake login screen, where the victim inadvertently reveal the Facebook or Twitter password.
Test Your IQ
This type of scam attracts the victim with a quiz. After the victim take the quiz, the victim is encouraged to enter personal information info a form to get the result. In other cases, the scam encourages the victim to join an expensive service, but the price appears only in very small print.
Tweet for Cash
This scam takes many forms. "Make money on Twitter!" and "Tweet for profit!" are two common come-ons that security analysists say they've seen lately. This kind of scam preys on user's greed and curiosity, but in the end they lose money or their identities.
Ur Cute. Msg Me!
The sexual solicitation is a technique spammers have been trying for years via e-mail and is one that has proven wildly successful. In later versions of this ruse, tweets feature scantily clad women and include a message embedded in the image, rather than in the tweet itself.
Amber Alert Issued!
This one is more of a hoax. Amber alerts are pasted into status updates that turn out to be untrue. Although such attacks don't gain information, they are designed to cause panic an concern as well as increase traffic among recipients.