Have you noticed strange Twitter (X) handles following you? Or maybe you got an impressive number of followers in a matter of days. Many Twitter (X) users wish to have an impressive number of followers. But it takes time, good tweets, retweets and trending hashtags to get a decent following on Twitter. So why are Twitter (X) accounts being followed in random and weird ways?
Quick Reply: Random tracking may be due to the keywords you used in your tweets. In general, anyone can see and reply to your tweets if they are unprotected. Our tweets are open to the public by default. So you may have tweeted something that resonated with them. It can also be random people who hope you will follow them back. Sometimes random followers can also be malicious bots or spammers who spread malicious links.
Malicious bots and spammers follow everyone, including you. Spam tracking can damage your credibility or expose your Twitter (X) account to phishing.
So, let’s dive into the world of random Twitter (X) followers and see how to eliminate strangers from your Twitter (X) account.
What are Twitter (X) followers?
Anyone who appears in your list of followers or who receives your tweets on their timeline is your follower. It means that the follower liked your content. Therefore, he decided to subscribe to your content.
As soon as a Twitter (X) user clicks on the “follow” button, he becomes your “follower”.
Why do I have random Twitter (X) followers?
Your account is public
Is your Twitter (X) account public? A new Twitter (X) account begins its journey on Twitter (X) as a public account.
If you have not yet changed the settings to make them private, your account is public.
Anyone with a Twitter (X) account can view your tweets, react to them and reply to them. It also means they can follow you just by tapping the “follow” button. Also, a public account has no mechanism or option to approve or deny followers.
Therefore, if you don’t see any follow requests or you keep getting random followers, you may need to edit your account to protect your tweets.
A private Twitter (X) account will give you the privilege to accept or refuse followers.
How to protect your tweets through the app
- Launch the Twitter (X) app on your phone and log in.
- Click on the profile icon in the upper left corner.
- Select “Settings and privacy”.
- Go to “Privacy and security”.
- Select “Audience and tagging”.
- Activate the “Protect your Tweets” option to complete the process.
How to protect your Tweets through the browser
- Browse Twitter (X) and log in to your account.
- Click on the “More” button on the left side of your screen.
- Go to “Settings and privacy”.
- Choose “Privacy and security”.
- Select “Audience and tagging”.
- Activate “Protect your Tweets”.
- A dialog asking you to protect or cancel is displayed. Select “Protect”.
You will always be searchable. But don’t forget that your followers can still capture and share your tweets. Fortunately, you will have the power to approve or reject a potential follower.
Strangers hoping to get more followers
Random followers can be Twitter (X) users who follow random people to get more followers.
If you’ve been on Twitter (X) for a while, you might have come across the “follow to be followed” hashtags or threads. It’s a fairly popular practice and one that works.
Initially, people thought it was rude to unfollow someone who follows you.
People have taken the opportunity to follow random Twitter (X) users, hoping to increase their following and gain exposure.
If your random followers followed you in the hope of being followed, there is a good chance that they will unfollow you as soon as you follow them.
Protect your tweets to avoid random followers.
Twitter (X) bots
Random followers may be bots.
Bots are automated accounts created and managed by bot software. Twitter (X) bots behave like normal Twitter (X) users. They can like tweets, tweet, retweet, DM, disapprove or follow Twitter (X) users.
Twitter (X) bots can be malicious or useful.
An example of a useful Twitter (X) bot is a client bot. Companies use these bots to improve their customer service response time.
Although they can be useful, some Twitter (X) bots can be harmful. Cybercriminals use bots to distribute malware. To do this, they send malicious bots to track Twitter (X) users. They can also deliver links containing malware to Twitter (X) users. These links come in the form of short links to trick unsuspecting Twitter (X) users.
The robots probably followed you because of the keywords you used in your tweets.
Pay attention to these to distinguish Twitter (X) bots from real Twitter (X) users.
- Strange and fraudulent usernames. Usernames often contain numbers.
- The profiles seem anonymous. You will not see any information about your biography.
- Bot accounts post a lot of similar tweets almost at the same time. The account’s tweets and replies are short. In most cases, a Twitter (X) bot tweets the same content.
- The followers-following ratio is unbalanced. Twitter (X) bots often follow many accounts but only have a handful of followers.
- Check the account creation date. Bots often have a recent creation date.
Protecting your tweets is the easiest method to prevent bots or spammy accounts from following you.
You can also block or report any follower or spambot.
Block the account
Follow the following steps to block the account:
- Open the robot’s account.
- Click on the menu icon (three dots) at the top of your screen.
- A menu is displayed. Scroll down to “Block” and click on it.
- A confirmation window is displayed. Click on “Block”.
Report account
- Open account.
- Click on the menu icon (three dots).
- Select “Report”.
- Select the problem. In this case, you will choose “This is suspicious or spam”.
- Choose an option.
- Finally, submit your report.
FAQs
Can I block random accounts from following me?
Yes. You can prevent strangers from following you by protecting your tweets or making your Twitter (X) account private.
- Sign into your account.
- Tap your profile icon in the upper left corner.
- Select “Settings and privacy”.
- Press on “Privacy and security”.
- Click on “Audience and tagging” and activate “Protect your Tweets”.
Final thoughts
We sometimes get random followers on Twitter (X) because of our tweets. Most of these random followers are not a threat to our accounts as long as we ignore them.
You will expose your account to malicious users if you always follow everyone who follows you. Block or report these users. We have a responsibility to keep Twitter (X) secure.
