You know that gut feeling when something feels off? That’s exactly what hit me when I saw a strange crypto post on my account—one I definitely didn’t write. My heart sank as I realized my bio had changed, and some of my posts were gone. Let me tell you what happened because, honestly, this could happen to anyone.
How They Got Me
Like most of us, I get tons of messages every day. I try to check them regularly—because you never know when something important might pop up, right? So last night, I got a message on X (Twitter) with a link to schedule a call through Calendly (you know, the site we all use to book meetings).
At first, everything looked normal. But here’s where it got tricky—before I could book the call, it asked me to authenticate access to my X (Twitter) account. Something felt a little off, but I thought, “Well, it’s Calendly, so it must be fine,” and went ahead anyway. Big mistake.
The "Oh No" Moment
A few hours later, my phone buzzed with a notification about a new post on my X account—something about a crypto coin. But I hadn’t posted anything or scheduled a post! That’s when it hit me—I panicked and deleted it immediately, without even taking a screenshot. I realized I had fallen for some kind of fake Calendly scam or a redirect trick designed to steal my credentials and authorize the post. Somehow, it had given them access to my X account. Sneaky, right?
What I Did to Fix It
As soon as I realized what happened, I took action:
- Logged out of all devices to kick out any intruders from setting.
- Removed access for any third-party apps connected to my X account.
- Made my account private for extra security.
What I Learned (The Hard Way) This whole thing taught me a valuable lesson: even if something looks legit, it might not be. Hackers are getting really good at copying trusted sites. Funny enough, the fact that I trusted Calendly made me more likely to fall for it!
And remember that little gut feeling I had? I should’ve listened. Next time, if something feels even slightly off, I’ll take a second look—and you should too. Especially when it comes to logging into X or any other important account!
How to Keep Your Account Safe
Here's what I wish I'd known before:
- If a link asks you to log in when it normally wouldn't, that's a red flag
- Take an extra second to check if things look exactly right (especially with login pages)
- Use two-step verification – it's like having a backup lock on your door
- Every now and then, check which apps have access to your account and remove ones you don't use
Look, I know we're all busy and sometimes it's tempting to rush through things. But trust me – taking a few extra seconds to double-check is way better than spending hours trying to get your account back!
Stay safe out there, friends! And if something like this ever happens to you, don't beat yourself up about it. These scams are getting trickier by the day, and we're all just trying our best to keep up.
I tweet about it here
stay hungry, stay foolish
-Steve Jobs
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