Worrying Twitter Scam Preys on Banking Customers

A persuasive Twitter quote-tweet scam is targeting banking customers, convincing them to contact scammers instead of official organizations.

Banking Customers Are Being Targeted By Scammers on Twitter

On March 16, 2023, Bleeping Computer reported a concerning Twitter scam that was “abusing the quote-tweet feature”. In the Bleeping Computer article, it was written that customers who wish to raise a complaint or contact the customer service of their banking provider were being tricked into contacting scammers, instead.

In the scam, malicious actors are providing banking customers with alternative phone numbers, with which the victims believe they can use to contact their bank.

If a user does call the provided number, they run the risk of scammers extracting private banking information from them, which could be used to illegally access funds.

Official Twitter Bank Accounts Are on Alert

It didn’t take long after this line of scams began for the legitimate Twitter accounts of the impersonated banks to warn customers of these dangerous quote-tweets.

For example, the support account of Axis Bank notified a Twitter user that an impersonator account had commented under one of their posts. The user had posted about a 2016 Axis Bank data breach, with the faux Axis Bank account then providing the user with an alleged helpline number in the comments section.

Axis itself then warned the user of the phony account, stating that the response was not “posted by [its] official representatives.”

Scammers Are Exploiting Twitter’s New Verification System

Since Elon Musk’s move to alter Twitter’s verification process in 2022, scammers have been using the blue checkmark icon to win the trust of victims.

Giving any user the ability to buy checkmark verification opens a door for scammers, as many see this symbol as a sign of legitimacy. Confusion surrounding the meaning of Twitter’s new checkmark color scheme may continue to give scammers the upper hand.

Twitter Is a Hotspot for Scammers

Malicious actors have been using Twitter as a scam vector for years. Social engineering is a particularly popular form of online scam, with Twitter users constantly being put at risk of such dangers. It’s important to know about the red flags to look out for on social media to ensure you don’t fall for one of these swindles.