Twitter can be useful and Twitter can also be fun but users have been experiencing a surprising amount of bots (fake accounts) following them on Twitter.
People would like to know why this is happening and what they can do about it and if you are one that has been dealing with this unsettling problem, then you are in luck since in today’s article, we will answer this and much more.
Read on to find out why bots are following you on Twitter.
Why Do Bots Keep Following Me on Twitter?
The most likely reason why you keep on having bot accounts (fake accounts) follow you on Twitter is that your Twitter account is public. Do you have a public Twitter account? A brand-new Twitter account first appears on the platform as a public account.
Your account is public if the settings have not been changed to private. Your tweets are accessible to anybody with a Twitter account, who may also respond to them.
Additionally, it implies that they can just click the “follow” button to follow you. Additionally, a public account lacks any tools or options for approving or rejecting followers.
So you might need to modify your account to secure your tweets if you do not receive any follow request notifications or if you keep getting strange followers.
With a private Twitter account, you may choose whether to accept or reject followers. Let us get some possible reasons why this is occurring and what you can do to mend this inconvenient problem.
1. Your Account is Public
As previously mentioned, the most likely reason why you keep on having bot accounts (fake accounts) follow you on Twitter, is that your account is public. Do you have a public Twitter account?
A brand-new Twitter account first appears on the platform as a public account. Your account is public if the settings have not been changed to private. Your tweets are accessible to anybody with a Twitter account, who may also respond to them.
Additionally, it implies that they can just click the “follow” button to follow you. Additionally, a public account lacks any tools or options for approving or rejecting followers.
So you might need to modify your account to secure your tweets if you do not receive any follow request notifications or if you keep getting strange followers.
With a private Twitter account, you may choose whether to accept or reject followers. There is a relatively simple fix for this situation.
Fix – Make Your Account Private
You can certainly benefit from making your Twitter account private, as this will allow you to either approve or reject new followers. This way you can evaluate each new follower and make sure they are not a bot account (fake account), which means you will have control over who can or cannot follow you on Twitter.
How to Make Your Twitter Private:
Step 1. Depending on your Android version, touch the Menu (three lines) or your profile symbol to access Twitter on your Android device.
Step 2. Select Privacy and Settings.
Step 3. Choose Safety and Privacy.
Step 4. Slide the button next to Protect Your Tweets to the “On” position. (On some phones, a box needs to be checked.)
2. Bot Twitter Accounts
Bot software creates and maintains automated accounts known as bots. Bots on Twitter act just like regular users. It can follow or unfollow Twitter users as well as like, tweet, and retweet content.
Bots on Twitter can be malevolent or beneficial. A customer bot is an illustration of a Twitter bot that is useful. These bots are used by businesses to speed up customer service responses.
Some Twitter bots can be detrimental even though they can be useful. To propagate malware, cybercriminals utilize bots.
By instructing malicious bots to follow Twitter users, they do this. They can also send Twitter users URLs that are infected with malware.
These links are disguised as short links to deceive gullible Twitter users. Because you utilized specific keywords in your tweets, the bots undoubtedly started following you.
Watch out for these signs to recognize which Twitter accounts are bots:
- Off-putting or “spammy” usernames. User names frequently include numerals.
- Vague or anonymous profiles. This means there will typically be no information in their bio.
- Many similar tweets are posted by bot accounts almost simultaneously. The tweets and answers from this account are concise. A Twitter bot typically tweets the same information.
- The ratio of followers to followers is unbalanced. Twitter bots frequently follow several accounts while only having a small number of followers.
- Look up the date the account was created. Bots frequently have recent dates of inception.
Any Twitter accounts that share similarities to these examples are likely bot accounts (fake accounts) but now that you know what to watch out for, let us get to the fix for this situation.
Fix – Block The Bots
The easiest way to stop spammy or automated accounts from following you is to protect your tweets. A bot or spam follower can also be blocked or reported.
You cannot be followed by blocked accounts, and you also cannot be followed by blocked accounts. If you block an account that you are currently following, you will stop following that account (and them to unfollow you).
You will need to follow that account once more if you choose to unblock that account. If you are to block the Twitter accounts you believe to be bots, then they will not be able to follow you again and they will not be able to see your tweets.
How to Block A Twitter Account
Step 1. The first thing you will want to do is select the Twitter account in question.
Step 2. Next, you can select the Menu option symbolized by the three dots at the top portion of your screen.
Step 3. Now, an options menu should come up. You will want to scroll to the bottom of the menu and select the “Block” option.
Step 4. Finally, confirm your decision by tapping on “Block” on the pop-up prompt.
3. Twitter Needs to Do Something
If you are experiencing an outstanding amount of bots following you on an hourly basis such as 50-100 bot accounts, this is not not only annoying but also something Twitter needs to handle on their side.
There is no shame in wanting real people as Twitter followers and also not wanting to deal with all of the spam on your Twitter account.
Many people have voiced their displeasure about how easy it is for Twitter accounts to receive the blue checkmark of verification and this can certainly contribute to the number of bot accounts on Twitter.
If someone such as a business creates a bot account, it is not necessarily a “dangerous” account but it does not change the fact that all of the spam can become quite annoying.
With that said, other bot accounts can be quite invasive if they manage to get you to click on the wrong link, which can provide them with private information. These are the kind of accounts Twitter needs to take action to prevent from reappearing.
Fix – Contact Twitter Support / Report Accounts
If you are dealing with an insane amount of bots following you on Twitter, then you should certainly contact Twitter Support since this is an issue they need to handle. You can message Twitter Support by entering their username @TwitterSupport.
Let them know about the outstanding amount of bot accounts you are dealing with and it is important to mention if you believe that the majority of the fake accounts are dangerous for Twitter users.
With that said, you can also report these bot (fake) accounts so that Twitter will hopefully investigate their accounts and can take the appropriate measures to prevent them from returning to Twitter.
How to Report A Twitter Account
Step 1. Firstly, go to the Twitter account you believe to be a bot.
Step 2. Next, select the Menu option indicated by the three dots and then tap on the “Report” option.
Step 3. You will have to provide a reason, which in this scenario would be the “it’s suspicious or spam” option.
Step 4. Select an option and then Submit the Report.
Some Twitter bots are harmless but it does not change the annoyance that their spamming can bring to Twitter users. This is genuinely an issue that should not only be acknowledged by Twitter but also a problem that Twitter needs to get a hold of, as it is also a security issue.
Unfortunately, many users are already beginning to see Twitter as somewhat of a joke and this bot issue is not helping their case.