10 Twitter Scams to Watch Out for in 2025

Michelle Wilson - February 28, 2023

Fraudsters, similar to viruses, constantly adapt to current events and trends to devise fresh tactics for taking money from individuals. Therefore, it is no surprise that social media platforms, an integral part of the world’s daily lives, are the latest target. While platforms like Twitter offer a convenient way to connect with friends and family, the lack of security measures to create an account makes it vulnerable to catfishing, phishing, and other fraudulent activities.

Therefore, in today’s day and age, experts recommend every social media user be aware of the latest Twitter scams and how they can protect themselves from them. This blog will briefly overview the 10 Twitter scams to watch out for in 2025.

Free Followers

As an emerging brand or influencer, the number of your followers is important. Therefore, one of the first scams you should look for is any promises to followers for a fee or membership. As enticing as the offer may be, this is a risky strategy, and the consequences may include Twitter blocking your account, resulting in a significant decrease in your followers. It is essential to be cautious and avoid falling into this trap.

Twitter Impersonation Scams

In a Twitter impersonation scam, a fraudster will create a fake Twitter account that resembles a real, well-known person, such as a celebrity, politician, or business leader. The goal is to trick people into believing that the account is legitimate and to get them to engage with the scammer or share personal information. Sometimes, the scammer may use the fake account to solicit money or spread false information.

Twitter impersonation scams come in many forms, including celebrity giveaways, phishing scams, and false job offers. In the case of celebrity giveaways, scammers create fake Twitter accounts posing as celebrities and announce fake giveaways, asking people to send them money or personal information to enter. In comparison, false job offers involve scammers creating fake Twitter accounts posing as recruiters or hiring managers and offering false job opportunities, then asking people to provide personal information or send money as part of the job application process.

Promises of Verification

Brand managers, public figures, and influencers highly value the verified blue badge on Twitter. Scammers know this and may attempt to trick you into providing your password or credit card information for instant verification. Despite the authentic appearance of the URL, be wary of this phishing scam. Only Twitter has the authority to grant the desirable blue badge.

Giveaway Scams

Think you won a giveaway? Think again. Another common Twitter scam occurs when fraudulent parties impersonate a well-known individual or brand on Twitter and use it to conduct fake giveaways. They usually promise huge rewards such as free money, cryptocurrency, or gift cards in exchange for a small amount of cryptocurrency or personal information.

The scammer creates a Twitter account that looks like it belongs to a legitimate person or brand. In reality, there is no giveaway, and the scammers pocket the cryptocurrency or use the personal information for nefarious purposes.

Verification Scams

Next on the list are Twitter verification scams. These scams refer to fraudulent social media activities that impersonate the platform’s verification process to trick users into providing personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers, or downloading malware onto their devices.

The scammer creates a fake account that appears to be from Twitter and tweets about the verification process or offers to verify the user’s account. They then ask the user to provide personal information or download a software update. The scammer then uses this information to steal the user’s personal information or infect their device with malware.

Worms

Although Twitter doesn’t have a spam folder, you may encounter a scam known as Script Worms, similar to email scams. You could see a tweet from a trusted account containing a link or hidden malicious JavaScript. Unfortunately, unlike a standard tweet, clicking on one of these messages could be problematic, as worms on Twitter are rare. However, be wary of accounts that exploit popular hashtags.

Investment Scams

Twitter Investment Scams are fraudulent schemes that use the platform to lure people into investing their money in fake investment opportunities. These scammers promise high investment returns and use fake Twitter accounts, websites, and other tactics to make their scams look legitimate.

The scammer creates a fake Twitter account that looks like it belongs to a legitimate investment firm or financial advisor. They then tweet about a supposed investment opportunity, promising high returns for anyone who invests their money. There is no real investment opportunity, and the scammers pocket the invested funds.

Support Scams

Support scams refer to fraudulent parties on the social media platform that impersonate legitimate customer support accounts to trick users into providing personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers, or downloading malware onto their devices. These scams often appear as fake customer support accounts or fake support tickets.

They then offer support or assistance in resolving the issue, asking the user to provide personal information or download a software update. The scammer then uses this information to steal the user’s personal information or infect their device with malware.

Easy Work-From-Home Job Scams

Using this Twitter scheme, fraudsters say they can teach you how to earn money by promoting other individuals’ goods to one’s followers.

They require a small fee to register, usually a few dollars, but by doing so (using your credit card), you’re also subscribing to a monthly membership fee for continual advice. While many genuine membership sites have recurring fees, these Twitter scams conceal or lack clear membership details, and canceling and receiving a refund is nearly impossible. Consequently, the only individual profiting from this scheme is the Twitter scammer.

Additional Money-Making Twitter Scams

Twitter scammers have become increasingly adept at devising new strategies to deceive you into relinquishing your hard-earned money. Some of these schemes are similar to previously encountered scams in various forms. For instance, your acquaintance may send you a message requesting that you transfer money because they’re in a difficult situation. However, in most cases, you are engaging with a scammer who took over someone else’s Twitter account.

Another common scam involves receiving a “direct-message” tweet from an individual who alleges to be a manufacturer or retailer representative and offers to sell you the desired product at a reduced cost. They will typically request your credit card information. Alternatively, you may receive a tweet informing you that you’ve won a cell phone, and to claim the prize, you must submit your existing phone number to have it transferred to the new device. In reality, you’re signing up for a service that comes at a cost on your phone bill.

Remain Vigilant

Twitter scams are a growing concern for users. Understanding the various tactics scammers use, such as Twitter malware, verification, and cryptocurrency scams, are more important than ever. To protect yourself, be cautious of tweets from fake accounts that appear on Twitter, don’t provide personal information, only verify your account through the official Twitter website, use up-to-date antivirus software, and be wary of phishing attacks that ask for your password or sensitive information. By following these tips, you can stay safe and enjoy the platform without worries.