Threat Actors Launch Phishing Campaign Targeting Verified Twitter Accounts Following Musk's $8 Monthly Fee Proposal

Right after Twitter CEO Elon Musk announced plans to charge an $8 monthly fee to verified users, threat actors launched phishing scams targeting users with blue checks on their profile, according to a new report.

A new report from Bleeping Computer revealed that "newer phishing campaigns" emerged "with threat actors now targeting verified accounts" after Musk's most recent announcement on its plan of charging verified users. According to the report, these phishing emails give "a false sense of urgency" to the recipients and urged users to sign in to their Twitter accounts or "risk suspension."

These phishing emails stemmed from "servers of hacked websites and blogs." If users click the link, they will be taken to a phishing webpage where malicious actors used Musk's $8 monthly fee announcement for their gain. Users will receive a prompt saying, "Twitter has implemented a payment system for everyone who has verified accounts. From November 8th you have to pay a fee of $8 for your verified status. (blue check mark)."

Users are also required to key in their email or username and password but in reality, the malicious actors are already collecting their username, and password and even go as far as sending them with a two-factor authentication code through SMS. The report also shared another phishing message they received.

"Twitter has implemented a payment system for everyone who has verified accounts. From November 8th you have to pay a fee of $8 for your verified status. (blue check mark)," the message read. "If you don't want to pay this fee, you can cancel your verified account status at any time. You can view your Twitter invoice on the "Billing History" page at any time. To access the 'Billing history' page, click on your profile name in the top-right corner of your ads dashboard and select 'Billing history,'" it further said.

Just a few days after purchasing Twitter, Musk announced his plan to revamp the micro-blogging site, particularly its Twitter verification process. He proposed to charge verified users a $20 monthly fee but later dropped it to $8.

Aside from getting a blue checkmark on their Twitter account, verified users can also expect to receive "Priority in replies, mentions & search, which is essential to defeat spam/scams, the ability to post long videos & audio and half as many ads," according to Musk. The CEO also clarified that the pricing will be adjusted "by country proportionate to purchasing power parity."