A clever new scam is putting Justin Bieber's legions of Twitter followers in danger of losing cash — and a little bit of pride.
Spotted by researchers at the security firm Sophos, the cybercrime ploy targets Bieber's more than 11 million Twitter followers with a message alleging that Bieber will follow your tweets on the social media site, provided you follow the scammers' instructions.
Cybercriminals have repeatedly manipulated Bieber's name and popularity in the past; one such scam even claimed to have exclusive video of the tween pop star hitting a girl.
This particular hoax hits a little harder, however, in that it's rigged to make Bieber's fans actually believe the star wants to shine the spotlight on them instead of the other way around.
The scam message comes with a link that, when clicked, takes users to an IQ test. All you have to do to get Bieber to follow you on Twitter is complete the test and enter your new score into the password box.
Of course it's never this easy — or safe. After finishing the IQ test, the scam then lures eager Bieber fans into handing over their cellphone numbers, which then automatically signs them up for a premium-rate text messaging service.
If you come across this message, or any suspicious offers on Twitter or Facebook, ignore it. And never fill out any surveys ; they almost always lead to trouble.