How would you like to get vilified in public, dropped by your friends and feel like a dope? Easy these days. Just join Twitter and click on one of the fraudulent private messages that your trusted Twitter buddies are sending you. Wait a minute! They actually NEVER sent them. Here’s the scoop.
As we said in our last post about shortened URL’s -”Twitter Spam: the Long and the Short.ly of It,” – that’s not the worst of it when it comes to your safety.
Nope, it’s your friends you have to watch out for. But, it’s not their fault at all. Take a look:
We’ve followed Gene Leganza (@gleganza) for some time now. He just happens to be a mucky-muck analyst over at Forrester Research – not exactly the type of guy you’d think would send you an unsolicited invitation to his Mafia Wars family.
But, as you can see from the screen shot above, he did send me just such a private “Direct Message” message, asking me to click and join.
Not a Good Idea to Click
Just one small point. Gene never sent the message. Some sort of auto-bot did. And, there are scads of other such messages, inspiring a torrent of complaints and anger on Twitter itself (just do a search for “twitter spam” on seach.twitter.com if you doubt us).
Here’s another example of the kind that may be filling your Twitter private messages. Again, looks can be deceiving:
The Worst Thing About It
Here’s what really hurts. What do the most of the folks conclude who get these types of private messages from their followers? Yup, they blame the messenger. That’s what Twitter expert Laura Fitton thought, before she took a second look, (screen shot at the beginning of this article).
But, Gene never did send it. And, Kim never did send it. Gene doesn’t play Mafia Wars. Kim works for the Four Seasons, not some sort of online money making scheme. But, both links will infect your computer and start sending out similar messages to your followers, without your knowledge.
Gene and Kim (and thousands of others) have had to re-jigger their Twitter accounts and send out apologies to their followers. Gene says he took the time to connect to each one privately. He told us:
What really bugs me about it is that it made me an unwitting agent of spam. It impacted my followers’ trust in me.
Complicity and Duplicity
It’s clearly time for Twitter to get serious about these sorts of scams. Thankfully, more and more conscientious and brave folks are bringing up the topic. Michael Arrington’s series of articles about the complicity of the gaming industry and social media sites should make your hair stand on end.
And a simple search on any major search engine will return thousands of results for things like “twitter spam” and “mafia wars spam.” The same searches in the News sections of those search engines will give you the latest stories – and there are many.
The same searches in the “News” sections of those search engines will give you the latest stories – and there are many.
What’s to be Done?
Wish to heck we knew. But, it’s frightening. And, it’s keeping us from clicking on most anything anymore.
Do your own research. Write your own blog posts. Become part of the discussion. This sort of nonsense has the power to bring down not just Twitter, but our entire trust in the online world.
29 comments ↓
Even if there were no spam problems I still have issues with Twitter. 140 characters isn’t enough to say anything meaningful or coherent. The ‘wisdom’ of Twitter can be found elsewhere (Metafilter) without the trouble of building a large Twitter following. Twitter is too fleeting. Jeff Jarvis has a good post on this topic: The Temporary Web on BuzzMachine.com. Having said this I think Twitter is a good place to share links. Now if we can just make those links transparent maybe the spam problem might be manageable.
I made $426.23 at home yesterday, but then a Mafia war capo came by and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. Now I have nothing.
That’s the thing about you Craig,
You’ll click on anything!
Seriously, good points about Twitter’s usefulness, even if there was no spam. Thanks
Michael – you’re so right about it impacting follower’s trust in you. Unlike Facebook, where most people’s connections are people they know better, either in real life, or from somewhere other than Facebook, people follow complete strangers on Twitter more often than not. Obviously, one hopes that through constant conversation, your followers no longer view you as a total stranger, but even people I talk to every day on Twitter don’t really know me.
My point in mentioning that is that people are more likely to forgive a Facebook hack because they know that it was accidental, because these are people they have strong relationships with. On Twitter, the bonds are a little more tenuous and casual – and Twitter is brimming with spammers, “internet marketers”, and “social media experts”. When something like this happens, I think most people are quick to forgive if they believe it really was an accident – the problem is that sometimes they just don’t know, since relationships are more casual and ethereal.
I also think it was more damaging when this sort of thing first started. Most people who use Twitter a lot immediately know when they receive a DM like that the sender’s account was compromised, and usually try to @reply or DM to let them know.
Twitter is like anything else – the bad guys will find a way to trick people, and the people who don’t learn quickly will be repeatedly victimized. Think about how many bank, paypal and ebay phishing emails are sent out every day. When people stop being fooled, spamming and phishing will stop because it will no longer be profitable. But we both know that’s not ever going to happen, or if it does, the bad guys will find a new way to trick people.
Thanks @snipeyhead,
As the person who wrote the single funniest (and truest) post we’ve ever read about Twitter, we value your feedback. That post, “Why I Won’t Follow You Back on Twitter is here – http://www.snipe.net/2009/06/no-follow-back-girl/
If we could only write like you…..
I really think everyone needs to take a moment and breathe when they get these sorts of messages. We are such a reactive society these days that we immediately think we need to act. And we don’t…except to not click on untrustworthy links.
I’ve received my share of this spam…but it’s almost always way out of context for the sender. How do I know? Because I listen to them regularly, and I know what they’ve sent in the past. And the spam is highly out of character. And therefore, I ignore it, figuring it’s another one of those attacks.
I think the best way to make all of this go away is to ignore it. Don’t blame people, don’t tweet about it, don’t complain about it…just ignore it.
We’re all pretty familiar with phishing scams and viruses via email. This is no different. It’s a fact of life for the online world. I would love for Facebook and Twitter to be able to stop it. But honestly I’m not sure anyone can…not even Google thus far.
My advice, take a breath and some time before over reacting.
Thanks Leanne,
Good points and I do try to breath regularly. One thing is that this level is new – just notice the number of tweets and scads of news articles. One year ago there was very little of this nonsense on Twitter.
Just as clarification, when we write, we write not as tech experts, but as the confused, rushed and mixed-up folks we are, with not a lot of time. I’m not sure that most people are not like us. I have little patience for making allowances for Twitter or any of these social networking sites. I’d like them to work because I’m not sure that most people are as patient, understanding and savvy as you and Snipe are.
But, I’m off to meditate – and breathe. Thanks!
Michael,
Great post as always. Not sure if I was relieved or alarmed by the post though. Relieved because this has been the case with two trusted networking connections I follow who have sent me “hey, take this quiz” Direct Messages, and this shows that it’s not just happening to me (or them). But alarmed, because it shows that it’s not just happening to me (or them!). So, how do you know if you have unwittingly scammed someone yourself? Is there any way of knowing other than contacting all your followers and asking, hey, did I scam you??? I am curious to know how Gene and Kim have changed their accounts to stop the spamming. Was it as simply as changing user name and password info, or more in depth than that.
Thanks as always for the great info!
Not thrilled with all these issues. About a month ago, listened to the Joel Comm CD from NSA and decided that since I have FB mastered for personal, I should get my head around Twitter for business. Makes me wonder if i want to wade deeper into the water or choose a different social media to focus on … not enough time to work them all right now. Hope you two are busy and well!
Thanks Megan and Vickie,
Loved your comment, Megan, especially the counterpoint of “Relieved” and “Alarmed.” Hilarious – and sad, but true. We’ve asked Gene and Kim to comment, but I know they’re busy. I will bug them a bit more – and get you an answer to their question. Most said it was simply changing their password, but I’m skeptical that the same issue might not crop up again for them. As to how you will know – you’re followers will tell you!
Vickie, you’ve put your finger on the biggest issue that so many of the “Social Media Super Sellers” never address at all. Time is now way more valuable than money – and that’s why nonsense like this on Twitter is so destructive. None of us have time to follow and fix this sort of nonsense spam. Hate to tell you though, Facebook spam continues unabated, too – just look at this post from Terry Brock yesterday on another FB Fraud scheme – http://www.terrybrock.com/2009/11/facebookpassword/
Great points! You hit the nail on the head with your closing comments that it erodes trust in the entire online world. To not trust anyone, withdraw into our own corner out of fear and be completely isolated is not only wrong but unhealthy. This issue needs to be addressed by some of the smartest and best people in the social media world. Hopefully they are on to it thanx to the good work you two are doing. Thanx for all your help and insight! Terry
Vickie-I knew I had spammed people because a follower notified me that my account had probably been hijacked. Eventually a couple dozen of my outgoing spam messages made it to the column that displays DMs in my desktop tool (Seesmic). Somehow I don’t think that showed all the spam I had inadvertently sent out.
All I did to change my account was to change my password. I think that stopped the spam, but in any event someone also clued me into logging into my Twitter account and going to http://twitter.com/account/connections. You can disconnect anyone you allowed to connect to your account, which is how the mafia spam happened.
Vickie — I would encourage to still give Twitter a try. The spam is not *that* bad (in that it’s usually obviously spam) and you can just ignore it like you do in all other forms. Twitter is a remarkable medium in that it provides the ability to conversing with the whole world at once.
Oops, my first comment should have been directed to Megan, who had asked about fixing my Twitter account. Sorry Megan!
Hi Terry,
You hit it right on the head. We are continually amazed at how the “tech types” discount the issue of danger on the web. Yes, it’s possible to mediate it somewhat – but it takes lots of technical savvy, time and often extra programs to do it. The point they miss is that this sort of thing affects the average person – who works hard and doesn’t have time to devote to learning all the nuances of technology.
We just attended a technical conference yesterday called Defrag (www.defragcon.com) with some of the best minds in the social media industry. As Sheryl pointed out, the word “spam” was never spoken.
Either Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter get their heads out of the technical clouds and help normal people deal with these issues or they will lose their followers in droves. Just watch the Twitter stream on “Twitter Spam” and right now you’ll see any number of folks saying “so long.”
Hi Gene,
Thanks for the clarification, but mostly, thanks for being willing to be used as a guinea pig in our blog post. We often want to write about issues that are somewhat compromising or embarrassing – and many folks just say – “I pass.” You were a willing helper and spent a good bit of time answering our questions – and now those questions of the readers on the comments section.
Thanks again – we can’t write about stuff like this, without folks like you.
For those reading the comments – here’s some further background on a very new post from Jennifer Van Grove at Mashable – http://mashable.com/2009/11/11/twitter-dm-spam/
The value of the relationships I’ve built on twitter far outweighs the minor inconvenience of the spam. When I get one of those mafia, or make $ spams from someone who I know would never send one, I shoot of a quick DM letting them know their account was hacked.
If it’s someone I don’t know, I simply ignore or delete.
Twitter has connected me with amazing people all over
the world. I have sourced about 80% of the interviews for my new book on twitter, have several “60 minute mentors”, ie, people I can go to for knowledge and advice, and have lots new colleagues globally who work in the same areas as I do.
I’m a big twitter believer. (@feistywoman)
Thanks Ava,
You are definitely right about the value of Twitter and other social networking sites. That’s what makes this sort of thing is so destructive – as Gene says, “It impacted my follower’s trust in me.” I guess the real question is – would you feel as sanguine if your own account had been compromised and tons of your connections began to question your trustworthiness?
Twitter is valuable, but will it be if this sort of thing continues? Or, worse, how will you feel when you click unknowingly on a shortened URL that infects your computer and captures your identity?
It is unfortunate that spam has crept into so much of our online lives, however the truth is that it faces us on several fronts and across many different mediums.
About 30% of my daily email is spam, many of my Twitter DM’s are spam, some of my @Replies on Twitter are spam, etc.
I think it is important, as you say, to be as on guard and cautious as possible when checking email and considering clicking on a link. Filtering through spam can be annoying, but it certainly is a necessity.
Finally, the story of your friend Gene is a terrific example of the perfect way to conduct ‘damage control’ should you accidentally spam your friends: personally go to each person and explain your mistake and apologize for the inconvenience. It is the only way to maintain the trust of your friends and colleagues online.
Thanks for the warnings!
Gene, thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. I appreciate how busy you (and everyone else!) must be so thank you. Interesting blog post by Michael, albeit a frustrating topic for many! I think one big way to reduce the risk (although eliminate it? I think not) is to NOT use those applications that allow an automatic follow. It might take time, but taking a look at each person that follows you on twitter can help. Even if you are just reviewing their follow to followers ratio and ignoring or even blocking those people with a big fat zero on the number of tweets they have made, this could help too. You don’t need to know each person that follows you, but at least be aware.
Does spamming like this really make enough money to justify the practice? It’s nuts.
Hi John and Megan,
Every time we hear that young people don’t use Twitter, we think of John Exley, who not only uses it, but will likely have a million dollar job by the time he graduates due to his real, actual, online and offline networking. Others may call themselves social networkers – but John lives, eats and breathes it.
Megan and Gene – what a couple of gracious participants you have been. You’d be surprised at how many “social media experts” never even write back to people in a blog comments section (even the folks who wrote the articles, sometimes!)
Thanks to you both.
And David,
Exactly the question I wonder all the time. Spamming has to be a tough business. But, they say, there’s enough people who click on those fake bank emails to make it work. What a lot of really technical people forget is that most of us are new to most of this. We are wandering in a world that looks real – and when we see a friend suggesting they made money, grew hair or found love – we think, “hey, what do they know that I don’t?”
It’s been an interesting discussion. I have still yet to write a blog post that gathers more than two or three responses. Kudos to you for yet again writing something that gathers interest and delivers learning to others.
Many great points have been brought up in this blog posting and discussion.
I was directed to this posting after I tweeted about Twitter’s loss of users in October (7.9%). (Tweet here: Bad sign for Twitter? Or are they just getting rid of the “spam” accounts? “Twitter’s users drop 7.9% in October” http://ow.ly/BSak)
It is definitely time for Twitter to get serious about attacking spam. I consistently sort through my followers and try to report spam accounts. I think the more we all report the spam accounts, the less chance there is of an unknowing suspect clicking on a bad link.
I think Twitter is a great networking concept, but I also think that we have created the perfect environment for spammers. I agree 100% with the post re: Twitter Spammers – The Long and the Short.ly of It. Messages are limited to 140 character short-hand statements. The only way it’s possible to share links is by shortening them. The link-shortening tools make most links look like sketchy, scam-like/virus-like links. I’m always nervous when clicking on a “great article” that someone read. I just hope that I don’t fall victim to a spam link someday whether it’s in a DM or a Tweet, because I know how long it has taken me to acquire my followers…and I can’t imagine how many I would lose if I peppered them all with spam DMs and/or Tweets!
Hi Caralie,
Good points all. It is “time for Twitter to get serious.” It’s probably time for all of us to call for a deeper discussion of the implications technology creates in all of our lives. Appreciate running into you on Twitter. That’s definitely the good part.
[...] ← Twitter Spammers – Your Friends are Innocent [...]
[...] of course, is mortified. But, it’s more than that. As Gene Leganza said in our recent post, Twitter Spam – Your Friends are Innocent: “What really bugs me about it is that it made me an unwitting agent of spam. It impacted my [...]
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