Scammers hit Twitter, Facebook, send free iPad spam

Facebook and Twitter users are complaining about their accounts being compromised and then being used to spam friends with suspicious "free iPad offers."

Twitter warned users of the scam, Wednesday, saying that it was resetting passwords of affected users. "If you've received a message promising you a new iPad, not only is there no iPad, but also your friends have been hacked," Twitter said

The scam is also hitting Facebook users too, according to company spokesman Simon Axten. "It's affecting an extremely small percentage of people on Facebook, but we take all threats seriously," he said via email.

Online marketing programs pay cash for Web traffic, and hackers have found that by phishing victims and then using that information to break into legitimate Twitter and Facebook accounts, they can earn money. This type of spam is particularly effective, because the messages appear to come from a trusted source.