Esurance definitely pulled off a last-second marketing coup at the close of last night's Super Bowl, but now spammers are seizing the moment, as well.
More than 100 fake Esurance accounts have been created on Twitter in the past 24 hours, and thousands of users are following and retweeting the accounts in hopes of winning $1.5 million.
That's the sum the insurer promised to one lucky Twitter user who shared the brand's hashtag, #EsuranceSave30. With such a large prize on the line, the hashtag has exploded across Twitter. According to search tool Topsy, the hashtag has been used more than 3 million times in less than 24 hours.
While it's a clear bonanza for Esurance, it's also posing a potential security risk for aspiring millionaires. Fake accounts using the brand's logo and hashtag have gained large followings and promised "extra entries" to those who connect to their accounts.
The promotion ends at 4 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday, Feb. 4., so if you see some friends retweeting bogus accounts between now and then, you might want to tell them to watch for that little blue "verified" check mark on @Esurance's official account before following or sharing.