Security firm warns of new Twitter scam

Twitter users, beware. A new scam is duping users into allowing access to a malicious application by claiming to let them see how many people have viewed their profile. Security firm Sophos said that the scam is similar to one circulating on the social networking site Facebook, where scammers adapt "ego-driven bogus Facebook apps" for Twitter. "Just like on Facebook, Twitter users seem to be blindly allowing these apps to post to their accounts," Sophos’ senior security advisor Chester Wisniewski said in a blog entry. The bogus app takes advantage of people's curiosity by posting the following to the feeds of its victims: "My profile was viewed ### times JUST TODAY! Click here to see how many views you got! http://tiny.cc/". "We observed a similar scam earlier this month, so we expect to see increasing scams as Twitter gains more and more traction in the social networking space," he added. Wisniewski said link leads to an application which, when granted permission, will send a post to the victim’s Twitter feed. It will also display an image with a random number that supposedly represents the number of people who have viewed the victim’s profile. But the catch is a fake IQ test that suggests the victim could win a free iPad tablet. "Upon completion of the test, you are asked for your mobile number, and if you read the small print you find out that they will send you a trivia question via SMS 4 times per week at $2 per question... about $32 a month. There is always a reason they want to trick you into propagating their scam and it is almost always money," Wisniewski said. He advised Twitter users to be cautious of which games or apps they approve. "And carefully audit the authorization page to see if an app wants control of your account or permission to post," he said. — TJD, GMA News