Blue-badge scammers are targeting X users

SALT LAKE CITY — Shortly after Elon Musk acquired the company formerly known as Twitter, changes were made to the social media giant. People were let go. It was rebranded as "X." And that little blue checkmark became something for which users must pay to verify their profiles.

Beware! Bad actors are using those changes to target X users, including Get Gephardt.

I received an email allegedly from the billing department of 'Twitter Web Services' informing me I'm about to be charged $8 for my "Twitter blue badge."

That email set off a few red flags for me: A) I don't have a verified account. B) For reasons still unknown to me, X revoked my posting privileges — I've been trying to get back in its good graces ever since. And then there's C) Why would X now send out emails using their obsolete Twitter branding?

It's a phishing scam, designed to trick me into giving up my password.

"Analyze the situation critically and not acting impulsively can go a long way towards keeping yourself safe online and safe from phishing scams," advised Josh Koebert, lead data analyst at the digital security firm All About Cookies.

Koebert shared with the KSL Investigators its latest research into phishing which found the amount of money lost went up 62% — a nearly $30 million jump — last year compared to the year before.

"There's big money in this for people who are working at small scale," he said.

To protect yourself, experts advise people not to click on any links in emails. Make sure you use a unique password for every login and change those passwords frequently. And use two-factor authentication everywhere you can. That allows you to get text notifications anytime anyone tries to access one of your accounts.

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