X changes the way you ‘block’ people and fixes an annoying Twitter exploit used by scammers

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I called this old exploit a “pre-block” when it targeted my followers. Let me give you an example. Previously, users could block my help @mattswider account, but still respond to one of my messages, often my PS5 addition in 2021 or PlayStation Portal supplement in 2023 warnings.

“DM me, I have one in stock,” replied a Twitter scammer who already blocked me on my message or on the reply of one of my followers who didn’t get a console. This was always going to lead desperate PS5 seekers into a convincing CashApp scam in a DM, with the surprise of no PS5 console in return. Combined, PlayStation fans lost millions of dollars (no typo).

Since I couldn’t see their scam response, the devious messages targeting my followers were always hidden from me (I had to use Incognito to see the message and then type the root account username to block and report them. It became time consuming). I started adding “All Twitter Sellers = Scams” ​​to my tweets, even though I was limited in character at the time and had more to say.

Now, according to the official X Technology account: “If a user you blocked replies to one of your messages, you can now see their reply.” I can’t tell you how many times I asked the old Twitter PR team to report this vulnerability and it was ignored (the only response I got was “OK, but can you help me get a PS5?” from a Twitter PR rep in a DM).

According to

X still has issues with SPAM, trolls, and scams, but this will be one of the most useful features the team has implemented since Elon Musk took over Twitter and renamed it X. In the future, it will be easier to quickly block and report offenders who try the now outdated pre-block tactic.