• After Elon Musk bought Twitter, he launched paid verification to stop bots from propagating fake information and authenticating real users.
• Verified accounts have a photo, followers, and recent activity.
• Clicking the account’s blue tick emblem verifies its legitimacy.

Just weeks after Elon Musk bought Twitter, the social media site erupted in anarchy. Musk sacked Twitter’s senior executives, including the newly appointed CEO, in the first week after his $44 billion takeover.

After the layoff, he launched paid verification to stop bots and trolls from propagating fake information and authenticating real users. With blue tick paid verification, social media has been overrun by phoney verified accounts imitating mega-firms and celebrities.

Musk planned to charge $8 for the blue tick, a mark of credibility and authenticity. Anyone, including bots and trolls, may pay $8 to acquire a blue tick on Twitter. Many companies lost market share and suffered financial losses. Eli Lilly, a pharmaceutical company that makes insulin, is one example.

We apologize to those who have been served a misleading message from a fake Lilly account. Our official Twitter account is @LillyPad.

— Eli Lilly and Company (@LillyPad) November 10, 2022

On Nov. 10, 2022, a verified Twitter account, @EliLillyandCo, posted that Insulin has been made free for all. The phoney tweet sparked a lot of uproar in America.

We regret to anyone misled by a phoney Lilly account. We’re @LillyPad on Twitter.

How to spot fake Twitter verified accounts?

1. Account Information: Verified accounts have a photo, followers, and recent activity.

2. Click the Account’s Blue Tick: Clicking the account’s blue tick emblem verifies its legitimacy. If the account has been validated by subscription, it will display so when you click the blue tick.

3. Use a search engine to find the UN’s official account. You can use the techniques above to verify the UN’s Twitter account, or you can visit its website and look under the social media area for the official accounts. This works for most organisations, companies, and famous people.

4. Check the Display Name and User Handle: A phoney verified account’s display name (XYZ official) or user handle (@xyz) will include a typo or additional letter(s).

Creating phoney-verified accounts has become easy, but fact-checking and reasoning can help separate truth from deception.

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