Millions of Bluesky must beware dangerously convincing ‘lion’ email – delete it immediately if it appears in your inbox
MILLIONS of people flocking to Bluesky have been issued an urgent warning over a dangerous scam email.
Only yesterday, The Sun revealed how Bluesky newbies were being targeted by costly – but worthless – app invites.
Listings found on eBay showed the unnecessary Bluesky invites priced as high as $300 (around £230).
Now experts have told The Sun that there’s another ploy that cybercriminals will be trying – all in a bid to part you from your private info or cash.
Security expert Adam Pilton told us that these digital crooks are on the prowl like a “lion” as ex-X (previously Twitter) users rush to sign up to rival app Bluesky.
“Right now, people are moving to BlueSky as an alternative to and replacement for X,” said Adam, Senior Cybersecurity Consultant at CyberSmart, speaking to The Sun.
“Without a doubt, cybercriminals will exploit this.
“Like a lion tracking a herd of wildebeest, cyber criminals will be observing the migration from one platform to another, ready to pounce.
“We will undoubtedly see fake messages inviting users to BlueSky, along with links that claim to lead there but instead direct users to malicious websites.”
He warned that users need to look out for a very convincing scam email.
It works by preying on the fact that millions of people have signed up to Bluesky.
Crooks will send fake “authentication” emails asking for users to verify themselves.
And the hope is that these emails will land in the inboxes of people who have recently signed up.
Users often expect to receive this kind of message after creating an account – so it’s the perfect con.
“Over the coming days and weeks, as you receive these communications, it’s crucial to verify their authenticity,” Adam warned.
“You might be contacted by what appears to be BlueSky with a verification link for new users. Be cautious of these threats.
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“Although Bluesky is still pretty tame for now, we might soon see an influx of scammers looking to capitalise on the mass migration from X.
“Scammers will clone popular X accounts that haven’t migrated yet to trick victims into following them. Scammers can then spread spam and scams through the fake accounts. Be careful who you follow!
“Cybercriminals are creating malicious Bluesky decoy apps that trick users into installing them.
“This can be particularly troublesome for users who don’t have access to Google Play or the App Store and have to rely on third-party app stores without a strict vetting and verification process, or in places where Bluesky is censored in major app stores.
“As with any social media, we’ll see bots, spam, and phishing. Users can contribute to moderation efforts by reporting these accounts, but they’ll never go away completely.”
Picture Credit: Bluesky / Google Play Store
“While BlueSky may seem familiar, its newness presents opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit our lack of understanding of the platform.
“They may impersonate BlueSky admins, other authority figures, or even celebrities.”
Bluesky is seeing a boom in popularity in recent weeks.
The app began life in 2019 as an internal Twitter project – but was split off in October 2022.
It then launched as an invite-only social media app in February 2023.
In February this year, Bluesky ended its invitation program – allowing anyone to sign up for free.
So if you see anyone selling Bluesky invites, ignore them: it’s a total scam.
“Unfortunately, with popularity comes scammers trying to profit from it,” said Erich Kron, security awareness advocate at KnowBe4, speaking to The Sun.
“With BlueSky being only available through invites for some time, scammers continue to work off that information, suckering people into paying for invites even though it is no longer necessary.
“Because people may be in a rush to stake claim on their username or for other reasons, they may not research the fact that invites are no longer needed.”