We’ve noticed a number of fake CNN-themed Twitter accounts driving traffic to a couple of different weight loss sites. The accounts in question are
CNNOnly
TheCNNBreak
MyCNNNews
CNNHotline
All of the above started posting their links in the last few hours.
Curiously, they all stopped posting their random mish-mash of memes and joke images around December 18 or 19, so it’s possible they could be formally parked bots which have taken on a new lease of life in some way.
We’ve also seen non CNN-themed accounts sending out the same links. To give you an idea of click totals, the stats for two of the links we’ve seen are as follows:
bit(dot)ly/12NTPUP – 25,814 clicks
bit(dot)ly/1zxVKtB – 37,262 clicks
Worth noting that both of those links were created December 10, and as you now have to log into Bit.ly to see additional stats – and I can’t currently login – we can’t comment on what percentage of those clicks are very recent. All the same, we shouldn’t look to keep clicking now and encourage more spam as a result.
Twitter spam runs are one of those things which will never go away, and it pays to have an idea of the kind of antics spammers get up to. If you’re looking for some advice on how to keep your Twitter account safe you may wish to look at the latter half of this post while you’re at it. As a closing note, we’ve seen this type of spamrun on Twitter before – April 2014, to be exact.
Christopher Boyd
