Readers of my articles will know I am security conscious: you have to be if you do business via the internet. Increasingly you also have to be security conscious where social media networks are concerned.According to one internet-based survey, Twitter is ranked as the second most popular social media network for interaction between friends, communities and business organisations. If you use Twitter, this is a very important post. However, I have seen a growing number of Twitter users getting hacked due to their account password being stolen through a scam.
A social media hacking scam is designed to encourage email recipients to click on an innocuous-looking link. The “friendly” message is often along the lines of: “I cannot believe this picture of you”, or “This picture of you is very embarrassing.” Authenticity appears genuine as the message, with its picture/video link, purportedly comes via one of your friends/followers. It is just that they, too, have been hacked.
If you receive such a message and click on the link you’ll see a Twitter log-in page. Beware! Despite its realistic appearance it is fake and designed to capture your password. To spot the deception, check the url in your browser address bar as Twitter will only ever ask you to log-in at twitter.com
Some Twitter scam sites have used addresses such as:
- tw1tter.com
- twittter.com
- twwiter.com
- itwitter.com
- twitter.com.somedomain.cm
Look again at the second example. The letter “t” appears three times, not two. Notice that the last example tries to fool you it is the real Twitter site by actually starting with “twitter.com ….” The other fake urls are easier to identify.
Unfortunately, the official Twitter website does not make things easy. Its official log-in page is at
https://twitter.com However, it can also use two others:
If you receive an email or message with a log-in link to Twitter my advice is to check it. Open another window and key in
https://twitter.com. Sign in and, if you’re on your own computer, click the “remember me” box. Go back to the link you got and click it again. If you are not logged straight into Twitter, the link is fake. Being cautious will keep you safe, and help you protect your Twitter password.
