Security firm Sophos is warning that a new scam is spreading virally on Twitter, and that a significant number of people have already fallen for it.
The Online Timer scam claims to measure how long users have spent on the Twitter Website. It spreads via seemingly innocuous Twitter messages along the lines of "I have spent 30 days, 14 hours on Twitter. How much have you? Find out here," followed by a shortened link to a malicious Website.
Anybody who clicks the link is directed to a Website that requests to connect to the user's Twitter account in order to measure their usage. The first thing it actually does, however, is post the same message in the user's feed, this time with a different and seemingly random time measurement, but with the same link.
Oblivious to this happening, the user is rewarded with a pop-up window that claims to show how many views the user's account has had. Again, the number appears to be random. By way of the main payload, a pop-up window then appears offering an IQ test, which it's claimed the user must complete to defeat spam and "verify you are not a bot." Upon completion of the survey, users are requested to enter their cell phone number to receive further questions, although the small print says that users will be sent four text messages a week, at a cost of $2 each.
...
The Online Timer scam claims to measure how long users have spent on the Twitter Website. It spreads via seemingly innocuous Twitter messages along the lines of "I have spent 30 days, 14 hours on Twitter. How much have you? Find out here," followed by a shortened link to a malicious Website.
Anybody who clicks the link is directed to a Website that requests to connect to the user's Twitter account in order to measure their usage. The first thing it actually does, however, is post the same message in the user's feed, this time with a different and seemingly random time measurement, but with the same link.
Oblivious to this happening, the user is rewarded with a pop-up window that claims to show how many views the user's account has had. Again, the number appears to be random. By way of the main payload, a pop-up window then appears offering an IQ test, which it's claimed the user must complete to defeat spam and "verify you are not a bot." Upon completion of the survey, users are requested to enter their cell phone number to receive further questions, although the small print says that users will be sent four text messages a week, at a cost of $2 each.
...
Article says "a significant amount of people have already fallen for it". Wonder how many "significant" is, plenty of suckers out there.
BUY MY SIG - 50$/Year
Comment