‘Unfollowed’ Scam Spreads on Twitter

Social networks have given us instant contact with our entire network of friends, from colleagues to exes to grade-school buddies. So if one of those friends decided they’d had enough of your virtual companionship, you’d want to know, right?

Online scammers certainly think so, and here’s the proof: a new scam on Twitter that promises to show who has "unfollowed" you has already ensnared thousands of victims.

The security firm Sophos reports seeing tweets that read, "58 people have unfollowed me, find out how many have unfollowed you." The phony message comes with a link, and includes hashtags such as #duringsexplease and #youneedanasswhoopin, both of which are currently trending topics on the social network.

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If you can’t resist the temptation to see which friends you’ve lost, Sophos warns that you will be redirected to a survey scam as well as a rogue third-party application that, if authorized, can access your Twitter account and spread the fake message to all your friends.

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

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"Always exercise caution about which third-party apps you allow to connect with your social networking accounts," Graham Cluley, Sophos’ senior technology consultant, wrote.

If you do mistakenly allow the app to access your account, its rights can be revoked under the Settings/Connections tab.

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