November 2, 2009 1:18 PM PST

Spammy scams surfacing on Twitter, Facebook

by Elinor Mills
  • Font size
  • Print
  • 2 comments

Twitter and Facebook users were getting hit with scams on Monday.

Twitter users warned about direct messages that said, "I make money online with google. i learned how here [link]," according to Twitter users.

A Twitter representative said it was not a phishing scam because the site to which the spam links does not ask for a username and password, or look like a Twitter page.

"We're on it and fixing accounts as fast as possible," she wrote in an e-mail. "You can keep posted on known issues as well by checking in on the Twitter Status page."

On Facebook, meanwhile, people were seeing messages from friends that said, "just take a look at it and read it over and try it if you want [link]." The link goes to a site that appears to be hosting malware. Accounts that are generating the messages are likely compromised, and the owners should change their passwords immediately.

"We're aware of this campaign, and are blocking malicious URLs and resetting affected users' accounts," a Facebook representative said in an e-mail. "The link in the spam message is for a work-at-home scam, not a phishing site. We're still investigating, but it's likely people's accounts were compromised through a previous phishing scheme."

Twitter users warned about a "make money online with google" scam on Monday.

(Credit: Twitter Search)

Updated at 3:39 p.m. PST with Facebook comment and at 2:15 p.m. PST with comment from Twitter.

Elinor Mills covers Internet security and privacy. She joined CNET News in 2005 after working as a foreign correspondent for Reuters in Portugal and writing for The Industry Standard, the IDG News Service, and the Associated Press. E-mail Elinor.
Recent posts from InSecurity Complex
Q&A: Researcher Karsten Nohl on mobile eavesdropping
RockYou sued over data breach
Hacker Gonzalez pleads guilty in Heartland breach
Web-based Lookout protects mobile devices, data
Using Facebook and Twitter safely
Firefox, Adobe top buggiest-software list
Adobe to patch zero-day Reader, Acrobat hole
Keeping Uncle Sam from spying on citizens
Add a Comment (Log in or register)
by Harrison912 November 3, 2009 9:44 AM PST
As a web site owner of safety and security products using Twitter for marketing purposes, I particularly hate this sort of thing. Not only is it spammy but it's a scam as well. Thanks, Elinor, for the heads up.
Reply to this comment
by phildeeznuts December 26, 2009 8:15 AM PST
Hmm, i tried purchasing this product. the company sent a cd with a few useful things on it. You have to make sure that you read the terms of service before making any purchase or signing up for anything online.
Reply to this comment
advertisement

15 sites that went kaput in 2009

Web sites launch all the time, but they also shut their doors. We highlight 15 that bit the dust this year.

Top 10 news stories of the decade

Let the debate begin: Was the iPhone more important than iTunes? Was anything bigger than Google finding a great business model? CNET offers its list of the 10 most important stories of the '00s.

About InSecurity Complex

Elinor Mills became fascinated with hacker culture when she was sent to Las Vegas to cover DefCon in 1995. Since then, script kiddies have given way to cyber criminals targeting bank passwords, and privacy risks are everywhere, from Google to Facebook and the iPhone. InSecurity Complex keeps tabs on the flaws, the foibles, and the fixes.

Add this feed to your online news reader

InSecurity Complex topics

advertisement
advertisement

Inside CNET News

Scroll Left Scroll Right