How to tell if a Twitter account is real or fake after new changes by Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s first month in power at Twitter isn’t exactly going as planned.
So far he’s been faced with angry users, an army of impersonators and policy changes that caused the stock of a pharmaceutical giant to fall drastically.
An account with the username @EliLillyandCo impersonated Eli Lilly and Company, a major pharmaceutical, and paid for verification through Twitter Blue. The fake account then falsely tweeted that the company is “excited to announce insulin is free now.”
As a result, Eli Lilly’s stock plummeted by nearly 4.4% the next morning and the company’s actual account was forced to send out a tweet to clarify.
Earlier this month, Elon Musk — who is now the sole owner of Twitter — authorized a paid verification feature that allows users to subscribe to Twitter Blue for $8 a month and receive a verification badge in return.
So far, the new feature has created quite a stir.
The Eli Lilly situation is just one example of the chaos spreading throughout Twitter as a result of paid verification.
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein is warning users to be on the lookout for fake accounts, claiming that the new policy has “inundated” users with impersonators.
“Twitter’s blue check feature previously indicated verified accounts, but the change allows any user to purchase a blue check through Twitter Blue for a subscription fee,” Stein wrote in a newsletter. “Scammers are looking to take advantage of the confusion to steal your money and personal information.”
Stein says that the policy allows for a new kind of scam — one where criminals can purchase a blue check to feign authenticity and use that power to phish information from unsuspecting users.
Here are a few cautionary steps the attorney general urges users to take while navigating Twitter.
Double-check a profile you suspect is fake
A tell-tale sign that an account is illegitimate is that the username, or “@” name of the account is different from the account’s displayed name. You can also click on the account holder’s verification badge to see how they were verified. If the account is verified through Twitter Blue, it is likely a scam, the attorney general states.
Never share personal information online
A government official and most company support departments will neve conduct official business through Twitter. Scammers will use direct messages as a channel for misdeeds with more ease, now that they can be verified, officials said.
Contact support desks directly
In the old days, you could tweet at a company for help if you needed customer support. Stein now warns it’s too risky. To avoid accidentally contacting a fake account for support, use contact information listed on the company’s website instead of Twitter.
If they ask for money, it’s likely a scam
Scammers often use payment methods such as cryptocurrency, wire transfer and gift cards when demanding payment from unsuspecting victims. If a verified account messages you attempting to request or send payment, it’s a clear sign of a scam, according to Stein.
Be skeptical
Giveaways aren’t that uncommon in the world of social media, but if winning a giveaway you never entered sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Be sure to check the legitimacy of accounts claiming you’ve won a contest.
Always report a fake account to Twitter
If you happen to come across a suspicious account, you can click the three dots at the top right of any tweet from the account to report it. Twitter will take appropriate disciplinary action from there.
