Tech Support Scam Extends to Social Media
Tech Support scammers are now targeting prospective victims through Twitter.
A new twist on the tech support scam prescreens potential victims by contacting them on Twitter and inviting them to call a phone number. This approach appears to be designed to save scammers time by eliminating people who are unlikely to be persuaded by their social engineering tactics.
Using Twitter Bots to Initiate Contact
The scam starts on Twitter, where the scammers respond to public messages that include words such as “virus” and “malware”. For example, one user wrote “Show visitors your site is safe from hackers and malware”. The scammer’s bot noticed the message and responded, “Hey I just had the same problem as you I found these guys they fixed it fast the number is 855*408*6991″.
The scammers are hoping to come across individuals complaining about computer security problems, inviting them to call a phone number to reach a service that can help.
Sometimes the bots’ messages miss the mark. For instance, one person wrote “Ebola Virus Must Be Stopped at Source aid organizations need our help”. The scammer chirped, “Hi I recently had the same issue as you I called these guys they had it fixed quick the number is 844*853*2662″.
Scammers Prescreen Victims for Tech Support Scams via Twitter and Phone
