Don't Fall for This Phishing Scam Threatening to Revoke Your Twitter Badge

A new phishing scam is making the rounds targeting high-profile members of the Twitterverse with a scary warning that their VIP badge is at risk.

Victims are targeted via email with a fake warning that there is a problem with their verified account status, represented via the well known blue checkmark. Moreover, the email warns recipients that their account will be suspended if they ignore the warning.

Scams threatening to take away a Twitter user’s blue badge are not new, and Verified users are notoriously protective of their status, meaning at least some recipients will undoubtedly rush to take action before they can notice they are not, in fact, talking to Twitter Support.

Those who follow the instructions in this scam are taken to a fake login page that asks for their data not just once, but twice, to ensure the credentials are correct before the attackers steal them, according to BleepingComputer.

The phishing kit behind the scam proceeds to use the stolen login information to request a password reset from Twitter. When the victim enters their one-time multi-factor code in the fake page, the attackers steal that too, giving them full access to the victim’s account. From there, the phishers will typically use the victim’s verified status to promote crypto scams.

Scams like these underline the need to use a dedicated security solution, not just on your desktop but also on your mobile. Even a trained eye can sometimes be tricked to fall for a scam.

Cyber crooks are increasingly targeting mobile platforms with credible-looking scams that easily pass for legit in the absence of a phishing-detection mechanism.

At the start of 2022, AV-TEST, a leading independent tester of cybersecurity solutions, ranked Bitdefender as the top recommended choice for consumers for the second year in a row.

And in a global survey of 2,483 respondents, AV-Comparatives found that Bitdefender Mobile Security was, overall, the most popular mobile security solution in the world.

Bitdefender recently published a short, comprehensive guide on how to spot a mobile phishing scam.

Stay safe!