Costly Bluesky mistake could cost you £230 as experts warn over ‘critical red flag’ you should never ignore

SWINDLERS are trying to currency successful connected the unreserved to Bluesky with a costly con.

The social media app has surged successful popularity arsenic users fly X, formerly known arsenic Twitter.

Bluesky is simply a likewise designed app that lets users travel each different and stock posts.

The app launched successful 2019 arsenic a Twitter project, but was divided disconnected successful October 2022 – and launched arsenic an invite-only offering successful February 2023.

Bluesky stopped asking for invites earlier this year, letting anyone motion up for free.

But The Sun has recovered listings connected eBay wherever radical are inactive trying to flog Bluesky invitations – adjacent though they're not needed.

The invites being peddled connected eBay typically outgo betwixt £5 and £20.

But 1 listing was demanding arsenic overmuch arsenic $300 for an invitation to the app – oregon astir £230.

Cyber-experts person warned The Sun's readers against falling for these listings.

"Invites are nary longer needed for BSKY," said Thomas Richards, main advisor astatine Black Duck, speaking to The Sun.

"Users should ever spell straight to the website to make accounts.

"And beryllium mindful that the domain sanction is 'bsky.app', which is somewhat antithetic than the emblematic .com we are accustomed to."

Invitations were nary longer required from February 2024.

The institution announced it with a blog station titled: "Bye, invites!".

It read: "Bluesky is gathering an unfastened societal web wherever anyone tin contribute, portion inactive providing an easy-to-use acquisition for users.

"For the past year, we utilized invitation codes to assistance america negociate maturation portion we built features similar moderation tooling, customized feeds, and more. Now, we’re acceptable for anyone to join."

Bluesky added that it had arsenic galore arsenic 3 cardinal members astatine the time.

Now the app has an estimated 20 cardinal users arsenic rank surges – linked to an exodus from Elon Musk's X app.

We spoke to information adept Graeme Stewart, who warned that crooks volition effort to instrumentality vantage of radical rushing to Bluesky.

"The emergence of a caller tech question similar BlueSky often attracts not conscionable enthusiasts but besides scammers looking to exploit the buzz," Graeme, caput of nationalist assemblage astatine Check Point Software, told The Sun.

"Scammers typically capitalise connected specified situations by creating fake apps, phishing emails, and scam warnings to lure unsuspecting users.

"These fraudulent attempts often committedness exclusive access, aboriginal invitations, oregon perks that look excessively bully to beryllium existent – and that’s a captious reddish flag.

"If an connection appears overly generous oregon suspiciously urgent, it’s champion to steer wide and verify done authoritative channels."

We've asked Bluesky for remark and volition update this communicative with immoderate response.