Twitter is warning users not to click on new spam emails that say you have “unread” messages and displays a long link that appears to belong to Twitter.
The emails claim to come from the Twitter support team. In fact the link takes you to a hacked page then redirects you to an online drugstore pushing Viagra, according to Sophos.com, the Internet security consultants.
“Twitter Support doesn’t currently send emails about unread messages. Be cautious of unfamiliar or suspicious emails,” Twitter posted on its safety page yesterday.
Twitter makes it easy to report spam, and offers a resource page on the issue.
“It may look like a message from moc.rettiwtnull@troppus, but trust me that email about an ‘unreadable’ message is really designed to bring you to an all-too-familiar Canadian Pharmacy website selling the likes of Viagra and Cialis,” said Graham Cluley, Sophos senior technology consultant, on his blog.
Cluley said be suspicious of unsolicited email and never buy from spammed offers – which is the best solution to cutting down on the massive quantities of unwanted emails. Spam emails persist because enough people bite to make the practice worthwhile.
