A few weeks ago, I received a direct message from a friend on Twitter. The message and the link it contained seemed more than a little sketchy; however, the message was from a friend. I should be able to trust a message from a friend even if it isn’t written in her usual style, right?
The answer is “no.” Even if a message comes from a friend, it’s a good idea to be wary. If something seems amiss with the message’s style, proceed with caution. Don’t blindly click on links. Instead, consider the following options before clicking on a link:
- Preview the link. Some browsers allow you to preview a link before clicking on it. Some applications allow you to do the same thing.
- Contact your friend. Ask if the message came from your friend. Your friend may not know that his or her account has been compromised and that it’s sending spam messages to followers.
The question is what to do if you click on the link. Once you do so, the message usually goes viral. What do you do then? It’s not as though you can retract your message. You can, though, do the following:
- Change your password. If you clicked on the link, and the message has gone viral, you need to change your password.
- Contact your followers. Let your followers know what happened. Tell them not to click any links that you supposedly sent.
What do you do when you receive a sketchy message, whether it be via Twitter or email? What do you do when your account is the one sending the messages? Let us know in the comments.
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