From Mashable today:

“A Twitter phishing attack is spreading rapidly today, attempting to obtain Twitter logins via Direct Messages. If you receive a message reading “lol, is this you”, and linking to a site called “bzpharma”, do not click the link.”

Phishing scams are on the rise and Twitter and Facebook will likely bear the brunt of them. Please, always check the links first. There are a few ways to do this:

1. Always let your mouse hover over the link before clicking it. This way, you can see where the link is going before you click on it. If it’s a pharmaceutical site, and you’re not in the healthcare profession, it’s probably a scam.
2. On the Firefox and Chrome browsers, you can install a handy plugin called, Bit.ly Preview. This plugin shows the full URL of shortened links on Twitter. While not all links are shortened using Bit.ly, most are, and Bit.ly is the default URL shortener of Twitter.

Have you encountered any phishing scams on Twitter or Facebook? How did you resolve them?

Possibly related posts:

1. Twitter goes after phishing and malware
2. Hundreds of Twitter accounts sending out spam
3. Scam Spotting, No. 6: FarmVille Cash
4. The 7 Social Media Security Personalities
5. Let’s Talk About Passwords