Reports that spam accounts engaging in 'sextortion scams' that ask for money by sending sexual images are on the rise among Chinese users on X (formerly Twitter)
On the social networking service 'X (formerly Twitter),' while many ordinary users post on the site, there are also many spam accounts that trick users and ask for money. It has been reported that numerous spam accounts are flooding the replies to posts made by some influential Chinese users.
New Twitter scam in China: sextortion scammers - Rest of World
Chinese journalist Wang Ziang discovered that numerous accounts were replying to his
The summer wind has blown my hair into a mess, so why do you come and mess with my grandmother's bed? https://t.co/fr87G9eWgg
— Eight cup beauty screams without waking up ☕️ (@zizizi963) August 8, 2023
Wang quickly realized that these accounts were spam accounts run by sextortion scammers, posing as young, single women who would reply to trending posts with sexually explicit messages and ask users to contact them via a Telegram link provided in their profiles.
According to Wang, if users click on the Telegram links requested by these spam accounts, the scammers will instruct users to download special video chat software for 'security reasons.' They will then skillfully trick the users into undressing, record the footage, and demand money from the users, hinting that the footage will be leaked. An anonymous man who was deceived by the spam accounts reported that he 'ended up sending $27,500 (about 4 million yen) to the scammers.'
Wang blocked these spam accounts one by one, but new spam accounts continued to reply to him. 'It's like a never-ending game,' Wang said.
'In China, access to adult content is strictly controlled by strict censorship known as
Liu Chong of the University of Leeds also points out that 'X's verified badge, which can be obtained for just $9.80 a month, gives credibility to spam accounts.'
Author Murong Xuekun is one of the users who is a victim of spam accounts, and as soon as he posts on X, he is inundated with replies from countless spam accounts. 'The posts from spam accounts are preventing meaningful conversations with ordinary users,' Xuekun said.
Although Wang reported the rampant spam accounts to X, only a few of them were dealt with. So Wang and his team launched their own campaign, calling it the 'Fight Against Sextortion Scammers.' Wang urges his followers to visit the spam accounts' Telegram links and harass them by asking pointless questions.
Huang Xiaoping is so popular that I'm going to announce a contest to deceive Huang Xiaoping:
— Wang Zhi'an (@wangzhian8848) July 21, 2023
Since the campaign began, Wang reported that the number of replies from spam accounts to his posts has decreased. However, Robin Li, a software engineer who developed the Google Chrome extension 'PureTwitter,' which can block accounts that send Chinese adult content on X, said, 'We continue to detect and block 30 to 70 spam accounts every day,' revealing that accounts involved in sextortion scams still exist.
'I hope that one day X will become a place where higher-quality news can be shared and discussed,' Wang said.
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in Web Service, Security, Posted by log1r_ut