Spammer Uses 750,000 Twitter Accounts For Slimming

One of the spammers have created over a period of one year 750,000 Twitter accounts and used for an extensive spam operation involving slimming based on green coffee beans were offered. To convince potential customers that the pills were legitimately used the spammer kinds Twitter accounts resembling the accounts of famous brands and celebrities, such as CNN, TMZ and MTV.

Spammers also used the Twitter accounts to real Twitterers to send these fake accounts, as reported anti-virus company Symantec. The virus fighter managed to unmask the spammer because that left some traces of his identity. For spam operation used the spammer three types of accounts. Namely new accounts that had no followers, no tweets sent out and used the standard "egg" icon. Symantec calls these accounts "eggs".

There were also accounts stolen content and tweeted photos of real women used. These accounts were followed by both the "eggs" as real users. Finally there were the "mockingbirds" accounts that occurred as the accounts of famous brands and celebrities and slimming advertised. Through the mockingbirds and parrots the spammer trying to spread the tweets about the diet pills among many people. For anyone who purchased the diet pills eventually the spammer got a fee ranging from 36 to 60 dollars.

The spammer could eventually become obsolete because he made some mistakes. So he left traces in the domains he registered and he used one of his "parrot Accounts" as a personal Twitter account. He also used some parrot accounts to retweet personal tweets.

Paying Attention

Symantec warns Twitterers to check that accounts they follow are real, identifiable by the blue tick. In addition, users of the micro blogging service wary of new followers and wants the number of followers on Twitter that someone does not say anything. "Numbers can lie," said the virus fighter. Finally follows the advice that no miracle pills exist to lose weight.