The Lure of Getting Rich Quick on Twitter

Twitter, in its surging popularity as a micro-blogging platform, is becoming the center of gravity for various scams and get-rich-quick schemes. According to the Better Business Bureau, scammers are having the time of their lives on the social media website, luring the unemployed and other victims who are tempted by get-rich-quick and work-from-home schemes. Such unscrupulous companies are on the rise, promising to turn Twitter into a virtual ATM machine with little effort and zero risk. “Twitter is a cool thing, the bright shiny object” says Alison Southwick, spokesperson for the Better Business Bureau. “It’s unbelievable how widespread this is. And with so many people vulnerable and looking for jobs, a scheme like this is going to have people falling for it when they can least afford to.” Phony Twitter companies are misleading unsuspecting Twitter users into thinking they can earn hundreds of dollars just to tweet, and in one case earning over $800 “before you go to bed tonight.” Bogus companies send links through email, claiming to have a large Twitter following and the endorsement of hundreds of satisfied paying customers. Their claim suggests that participants can gross up to $400,000 a year in income. Consumers are then directed to a website, where they are asked to sign up for a free training kit. The Better Business Bureau says that this is the entry point in their plan to suck away your hard-earned money. Visitors will see a website that looks much like Twitter itself, complete with the blue bird logo and distinctive font. This is the first indication of the scammers’ tactic to confuse visitors. Job applicants are warned not to trust websites that ask for money for training kits and to be wary of claims that they can earn fat pay checks simply by tweeting from home. The consumer is often offered a free trial period but is asked to submit their credit card number to cover the shipping fee of a kit, which allegedly contains a step-by-step guide on how to tweet for money and eventually earn you a hefty amount of income from home. The “catch” lies in the lengthy terms and conditions, which most of us never bother to read. The seven-day trial may include the time it takes to ship the CD. And the customer may be charged a monthly fee if they do not cancel their order in time. This is what you would call a “negative option” marketing tactic, where the burden lies with the consumer to terminate the transaction and avoid being charged. Attempting to terminate orders sends you, according to some customers, into a grueling cat-and-mouse game in which call center operators give you runaround instructions. Some of these websites close their comments section, and communicating with them is futile unless you are ready to order their product. Bureau investigators have also uncovered tweets that were posted under numerous names and accounts but all linking to the same website, a clear sign of a fraud campaign. As with any fraud, tracking these companies is next to impossible. Their postal addresses are random mail boxes, and their phones are usually busy or out of service. The good habit of thoroughly reading the terms and conditions can ward off schemes such as these, and the responsibility for not falling for these ploys is yours alone. These companies make their offers sound enticing and seduce the vulnerable into begging them to take their money. But once you’re in, getting your money back is next to impossible.