What's up with all these recently created accounts with identical biographies and a fondness for using UNNECESSARY CAPITAL LETTERS in their display names? #SundaySpam
cc: @ZellaQuixote
Answer: they're part of a botnet, consisting of (at least) 568 accounts, all but three of which were created between October 2020 and April 2021. All have identical biographies and links to a telegram channel called "TRADING NATION" on their profiles.
All of this network's recent tweets were (allegedly) sent via the Twitter Web App. The three accounts that have older tweets have periods where they used IFTTT and Twitter Web Client (the old version of the Twitter website) as well.
Every tweet this network has posted since the beginning of 2021 is a retweet, and they only retweet one account: @TradingNation_, which has the same biography as the 568 bots that amplify it, and is itself automated via IFTTT. The network has amplified 61 of its tweets to date.
The bots in this network each follow a few other members of the network. Additionally, 452 of the 568 bots follow the @TradingNation_ account that they retweet.
One more interesting detail: the three retweet bots created prior to 2020, as well as the main @TradingNation_ account, were all renamed. The previous names and content of replies to their old tweets suggest electronic music was their previous focus.
@TradingNation_: previously @ElectroLifeMF (ID 972453637)
@TradingNation6: previously @FactoriesBeats (ID 3009596267)
@Crypto_Life02: previously @ElectroLifeEU (ID 1559554982)
@Crypto_Life03: previously @ElectroLifeMEX (ID 621345335)
H/T @EJGibney for the lead.
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