When it comes to crypto giveaways on social media, one always has to be careful. And with the recent Bitcoin giveaway scam coming from Google’s own Twitter account, the danger is emphasized even more.
Twitter user Andrew Maxey, a “Cisco Security guy” alerted everyone to the Bitcoin giveaway scam being tweeted from the Google Suite account.
First time I’ve seen this scam – it’s a promoted tweet, but If you click the user ID in the tweet, it actually takes you to the legit G Suite Twitter account. Very clever. @Google @gsuite pic.twitter.com/Us7ygYZMi6
— Andrew Maxey (@andrewmaxey) November 13, 2018
Not only does the user ID take you to the legit G Suite Twitter account, but it also is a promoted tweet, ensuring as many eyeballs as possible.
So how does it scam you out of your Bitcoin?
The blog post gives details of the alleged giveaway and provides a link for readers to join the contest – as is the norm with these things. And that is how they get your crypto wallet information to use for their unscrupulous activities.
We now know that tweet is NOT from Google and it has since been deleted. With the tweet being live for at least 11 minutes, though, who knows how many fell prey to the scam?
While this particular scam has been taken down, it highlights the importance of remaining vigilant and not diving in headfirst the moment you see a “giveaway alert”. Not even if it’s from household names like Google.
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