Idkuchihadark's List: BOSTON BOMBOMING

The authors also found that many users with high social reputation and verified accounts were responsible for spreading the bulk of the fake content posted to Twitter. Indeed, the study shows that fake content did not travel rapidly during the first hour after the bombing. Rumors and fake information only goes viral after Twitter users with large numbers of followers start propagating the fake content. To this end, “determining whether some information is true or fake, based on only factors based on high number of followers and verified accounts is not possible in the initial hours.”

Gupta et al. also identified close to 32,000 new Twitter accounts created between April 15-19 that also posted at least one tweet about the bombings. About 20% (6,073 accounts) of these new accounts were subsequently suspended by Twitter. The authors found that 98.7% of these suspended accounts did not include the word Boston in their names and usernames. They also note that some of these deleted accounts were “quite influential” during the Boston tragedy. The figure below depicts the number of suspended Twitter accounts created in the hours and days following the blast.

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center has received indications that individuals may be using e-mail and social networking sites to facilitate fraudulent activities.

 The FBI is aware of a spam e-mail with the subject line "Boston Marathon Explosion" and similarly themed messages being circulated to lure potential victims to malicious software and exploits. Spam e-mails and Web sites to which they are linked use a wide variety of deceptions to trick a user into taking actions that put the user’s computer at risk for infection. Common techniques include links to compromised Web sites and pop-up messages prompting users to download software to view pictures, videos or other files.