The microblogging Web service Twitter has been warning some of its users to change their account password after they signed up for TwitterCut, which claims to have been a "twitter train," but is seen by many as a phishing Web site that's collecting Twitter user names and passwords. Twitter trains are Web sites that claim to help Twitter users gain large numbers of followers very quickly.
Apparently some Twitter users were receiving messages that appeared to be from friends with links to TwitterCut and a claim that they could get more followers by visiting the Web site. The Twitter messages, however, weren't sent by the account owners.
Even though a message was sent out to all of a Twitter user's followers once they gave TwitterCut their account login information, the site operators are claiming they weren't spamming Twitter accounts or harvesting user names and passwords.
Despite its assertion that it was a legit service, TwitterCut shut down on Wednesday, leaving behind a message that stated "Our website and its programmers can assure you that these rumours are not true and that TwitterCut is simply a Twitter train that was a work in progress! We were not phishing twitter accounts what so ever."
Regardless of whether or not TwitterCut was a legit service, the service's short life is a reminder that users need to be very careful when giving up their personal account information.