Get All Access for $5/mo

Twitter's $8 Verification: Fake Tweets Of LeBron James, George Bush and O.J. Simpson Cause Chaos Elon Musk's $8 charge has verified trolls to spread fake news like wildfire. They at first, took to the social media page to imprsonate the Los Angeles Lakers account and tweet about LeBron James requesting a trade.

By Kavya Pillai

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Photo by Ravi Sharma on Unsplash

Elon Musk's $8 charge has verified trolls to spread fake news like wildfire. They at first, took to the social media page to impersonate the Los Angeles Lakers account and tweet about LeBron James requesting a trade.

A user after paying for his Twitter Blue Subscription under the handle @kIngjamez tweeted "I am officially requesting a trade." Right after which another impersonator of Adam Schefter who is an ESPN insider shared that the Las Vegas Raiders, Josh McDaniels, the head coach, had been fired.

This was not all, soon after the accessibility of the blue tick was started, a user created an account as former US President George W. Bush with the bio "so what if I did 9/11" and mocked his role in the Iraq war with a crude joke tweeting "I miss killing Iraqis" along with a sad-faced emoticon. Followed by another impersonator of former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair tweeting, "Same tbh." The accounts were taken down after 10 hours of being live.

Following this former football star O.J. Simpson was impersonated and a tweet concerning his infamous murder trial in 1994 read "I'm ngl I did that shit". This tweet gained major traction with over 55,000 likes. The impersonator used the handle 'ThaReal0J32' which at first glance does not look much different to the real handle which has a 'The' in place of a 'Tha' and the letter 'O' instead of the number '0'.

This mass impersonation and spread of false news are predictable as any troll with access to $8 would resume any verified identity with absolute ease. Musk's Twitter seems to have curbed the issue with the introduction of their latest tag of 'official' for famous personalities, media houses and companies. Although this is a warning for other users to be vigilant and double-check the account before re-tweeting.

Kavya Pillai

Former Correspondent

Marketing

6 Steps to a Simple and Effective Content Strategy

Strategy can be an intimidating word, but it doesn't have to be. Follow these simple guidelines to make sure your next piece of content — and every one thereafter — rings true to your brand.

Side Hustle

'Hustling Every Day': These Friends Started a Side Hustle With $2,500 Each — It 'Snowballed' to Over $500,000 and Became a Multimillion-Dollar Brand

Paris Emily Nicholson and Saskia Teje Jenkins had a 2020 brainstorm session that led to a lucrative business.

Business Solutions

Why Aren't More Business Owners Using This $18 App?

Turn complex data into convincing visuals with Microsoft Visio Pro.

News and Trends

YouTuber Bhuvan Bam Joins Sexual Wellness Brand Peppy as Co-Founder and Investor

Peppy products are available on major e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Meesho, Flipkart, Tata 1mg, and Hyugalife.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.