If you use Twitter, you've probably seen messages and tweets that don't seem right. They include links with generic encouragements or shocking statements that make you want to click on the link. Recently, I've seen more and more people across Twitter with these type of messages. The most recent type of hacked accounts auto-send tweets to the people they follow. The messages look like this. (Take note: anytime I see a suspicious tweet, I let the person know so they can fix it as soon as possible.)

If you see any tweet or direct message that looks like this, donot click on the link. If you see a colleague or a friend with a similar tweet, it can't hurt to give them the heads up that their account may be hacked.

If you think your account was hacked, go to Twitter on a browser (you can do something similar on your Twitter app if you only have a phone with you):

1. Log out of Twitter
2. Click "sign in”
3. Click "forgot password"
4. Type in the email affiliated with your Twitter account
5. Follow the steps in your email to create a new password
6. You should be back to normal.

If you were hacked and you sent out public tweets with bad links, it can't hurt to acknowledge your account was hacked, apologize and feel free to delete any tweets that include hacked messages. That will help prevent others from clicking on the links.

You can also add an additional layer of protection to your Twitter account if you're willing to connect it to a phone. Here's how:

1. Go into your Settings on Twitter
2. Click on the "Security and Privacy" link
3. You can choose two options to protect yourself from someone else logging into your account:    
a. Send login verification requests to your cellphone    
b. Send login verification requests to your Twitter phone app
4. This will help verify you are the real account owner looking to change a password on your account.

All of these steps will help better protect your use of Twitter and prevent any of your followers from possibly clicking on a hacked link.