Is this a scam? A phishing attempt? Please tell me what you think!

1. 74

   lorlie6posted 13 years ago

   I just received this in my email and am not certain what's going on:
   
   _______________________________________________________________________________
   
   "Hi, lorlie6
   Twitter believes that your account may have been compromised by a website or service not associated with Twitter. We've reset your password to prevent others from accessing your account.
   
   You'll need to create a new password for your Twitter account. You can select a new password at this link:
   https://twitter.com/account/password_re … 58895-user
   
   As always, you can also request a new password from our password-resend page: https://twitter.com/account/resend_password
   
   Please don't reuse your old password and be sure to choose a strong password (such as one with a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols).
   
   In general, be sure to:
   
   Always check that your browser's address bar is on a https://twitter.com website before entering your password. Phishing sites often look just like Twitter, so check the URL before entering your login information!
   Avoid using websites or services that promise to get you lots of followers. These sites have been known to send spam updates and damage user accounts.
   Review your approved connections on your Applications page at https://twitter.com/settings/applications. If you see any applications that you don't recognize, click the Revoke Access button.
   For more information, visit our help page for hacked or compromised accounts.
   
   The Twitter Team"
   
   _______________________________________________________________________________
   
   Since I am relatively new to computers-but have learned a bit, since my old email was phished a couple of months ago-I'm not sure about this message.  Does Twitter send out emails of this nature, or do they not?  Some sites NEVER do such things.
   Suggestions?
   Thanks, Hubbers!

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   1. 82

      habeeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Contact Twitter directly and find out. I've received several fake emails from senders claiming to be Ebay and Paypal, so be careful.

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   2. 59

      Dale Hydeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      No legitimate site will ask you to do this. Anytime you get this type of email, it is a phishing attempt.

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      1. 74

         lorlie6posted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Dale, that's what I am afraid of, so I'm off-finally-to see if I can login to Twitter.  Thanks.

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2. 0

   Will Apseposted 13 years ago

   It looks like a phishing ploy but it also looks legit.
   
   Have you tried accessing twitter with your old password? If you can't get access it might be a genuine email.
   
   I still wouldn't click on an unsolicited email link as a matter of principle. If you want to reset the password use the links on twitter itself.

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   1. 74

      lorlie6posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for all the advice-esp. so quickly! 
      habee, you have received these sorts of things, too?  Hmm.  I will be careful, and contact them as you suggest.
      Will, I am just about to try to access the account with the old pw.  And I don't intend to click on the link-I sure learned the hard way when I was phished!  Thanks for chiming in, it's most appreciated!
      relache, the 'headers'?  Do you mean the URL?  If so, what do I look for?
      PS: LOVE the purple hair-it looks fabulous!!!!

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3. 68

   relacheposted 13 years ago

   The main clue that it IS a phishing attempt is the fact that they give you a link in the email to automatically change your password.  No legit site actually does that. 
   
   A legit email from a reputable site will always tell you to go to the main site, login securely from there and then make any account changes.

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4. 75

   WryLiltposted 13 years ago

   I had one like this awhile back. From memory I just went on Twitter, asked for a password reset and used THAT link.

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5. 88

   TheMagicianposted 13 years ago

   Just wondering, have you checked the email it was sent from? Did it look suspicious?

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6. 74

   lorlie6posted 13 years ago

   I just got into Twitter per usual and changed the pw.  Easy as proverbial pie.  Thanks, all!

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      Dale Hydeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      That is good news Lorlie! I am not sure about Twitter, but with PayPal and other companies, you can forward the email to spoof@paypal.com, etc. You would replace "paypal" with which ever company it may concern.  Usually you will get a confirmation that it was indeed a phishing attempt.

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7. 96

   JKennyposted 13 years ago

   Yep, I've had emails like these claiming to be from Paypal, definitely a scam. Just delete it.

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   1. 74

      lorlie6posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      JK, I just did-thanks!!

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8. 96

   CMHypnoposted 13 years ago

   Hi lorlie, because I have my email displayed on my hypnotherapy website I get this type of email every day, claiming to be from a bank, paypal, twitter etc, etc.
   
   As Will says it is never a good idea to click a link directly from an email, but to always go directly to the site.
   
   It's also a good idea to change all your passwords regularly, and with some things like Hotmail there is an option to force you to reset your password every 72 days

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   1. 74

      lorlie6posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I did NOT know that, CMH!  Thanks for this information.  I am a Hotmail user and have never noticed such an option.
      Think I'll go take a look.
      Thank you!

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