How to spot fake Twitter accounts?

Since the Twitter takeover by Elon Musk and several modifications introduced then, creation of Fake accounts have become easy. This demands for media literacy to be more crucial than ever

When Elon Musk took over the control of Twitter, he pressed for the need to make the micro-blogging site ‘the most accurate source of information about the world’. In his short tenure, he has brought many changes but all seems to be going diametric to the stated goals.

The Twitter logo is seen at the social media company's headquarters in San Francisco. (AP)

One of the major modifications - the Blue tick paid subscription- was introduced as being the only way to combat bot and trolls, and to ‘authenticate all real humans’, has become a tool to spread fake information. Earlier Blue tick meant that the account is thoroughly verified by Twitter. But now, many bought the now-halted Blue tick subscription to impersonate people, causing lot of chaos on the platform. At times the imitation is not only for parody but there are several instances when it caused loss to character and money of the original user.

Here we present some tips, you can follow, to spot a imposter account and become cautious against its tweets.

1) Check the account's handle, creation date and the number of followers it has and also note who is following it.

For example, one account purported to show NBA star Lebron James requesting a trade from his team. James' original handle - @KingJames - was created in 2009 and has more than 52 million followers. These include other NBA players and the Los Angeles Lakers, his team.

But the account that impersonated him used the handle @KINGJamez, and according to archived captures, it was formed in November 2022 and had fewer than 200 followers.

2) Since the $ 7.99 subscription also gave Blue tick mark, users can check if the Blue tick is paid or the one obtained after verification. The pop-up on paid accounts says: "This account is verified because it's subscribed to Twitter Blue."

For accounts verified for notability, it reads: "This account is verified because it's notable in government, news, entertainment, or another designated category."

3) Counter check with government agencies and public figures' other websites and platforms as they often list Twitter profile on that.

4) Perform a logic check and become suspicious if any account starts posting overtly inflammatory messages.

Creation of fake accounts have become easy. "I rebranded an old account in less than five minutes, got the verification immediately using a Revolut card in my own name, then was able to use the account for two hours," Whelan, head of video and social at the London-based Times Radio, told AFP.

This demands for media literacy has become more crucial than ever, as the modified system could open the door to disinformation from accounts impersonating as government leaders and agencies, health officials, weather channels, financial advisors and more.

(Inputs from AFP)