Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 19) — Cybercriminals are taking advantage of a surge in popularity of Twitter’s main rival Threads, disguising as the new social media platform to access personal data and siphon off users’ money, a global cybersecurity firm reported.
Amassing 100 million users in less than a week after its global launch early in July, scammers posing as Threads have already deployed “deceptive tactics” to cash in on the app’s popularity, Kaspersky said in a statement on Tuesday.
READ: What is Threads? Here’s what you need to know about the potential ‘Twitter Killer’
Some of the malicious activities observed include the proliferation of phishing pages that are designed to look like the non-existent web version of Thread, deceiving users into entering their login credentials.
Kaspersky warned users may lose access to their other social media accounts.Inputting their unique identifiers may also make them vulnerable to identity theft, doxing—or the act of publicizing personal information—and financial risks. This is worrisome for those users and businesses with banking details already processed in their accounts.Users wanting to immediately gain thousands of followers may also expose themselves to risks as cybercriminals attempt to entice them by providing alleged free followers on Threads.“Scammers have mastered the art of capitalizing on trendy topics, emphasizing the importance of maintaining constant alertness. The prevalence of scams surrounding the popular Threads app serves as a stark reminder of the risks we face in the digital realm,” said Olga Svistunova, a security expert at Kaspersky.“From deceptive schemes to data collection tactics, these fraudsters spare no effort in compromising your personal and financial security,” she added.
