Michael Kan at PCMag had the scoop: A hacker is already circulating one phishing email, warning users they'll need to submit some personal information to keep the blue verified checkmark for free.
He wrote: "One hacker is already exploiting Twitter’s reported plan to charge users for the verified blue checkmark by using it as a lure in phishing emails.
On Monday, journalists at TechCrunch(Opens in a new window) and NBC News(Opens in a new window) received phishing emails that pretended to come from Twitter, and claimed they had to submit some personal information in order to keep the blue checkmarks on their Twitter accounts.
“Don’t lose your free Verified Status,” the phishing email says. Twitter itself has yet to officially announce any changes about the blue checkmark. Nevertheless, the phishing email tries to exploit the news by claiming that some verified users, particularly celebrities, will need to pay $19.99 per month after Nov. 2 to keep the status.
The email then tries to create a sense of urgency. “You need to give a short confirmation so that you are not affected by this situation,” it says. “To receive the verification badge for free and permanently, please confirm that you are a well-known person. If you don’t provide verification, you will pay $19.99 every month like other users to get the verification badge.”
The email provides a button labeled “Provide Information.” However, a closer look at the message reveals it was sent from the email address Twittercontactcenter@gmail, instead of an official Twitter domain—a clear red flag the message is a fake. "
Step your users through new-school security awareness training before they fall for timely and smart social engineering attacks like this.
Article continues at PCMAG
