Girl scrolling on twitter (Getty)
It’s been an almost daily news roller coaster since Elon Musk announced he was buying the social media platform Twitter. After a legal battle that lasted for months, the SpaceX and Tesla owner finalized his $44 billion dollar purchase, but the drama didn’t end there. Musk reinstated accounts for controversial, previously banned users. Then followed layoffs and ultimatums for Twitter staff that made headlines and concerned advertisers and investors.
However, one change had even more widespread implications, affecting all users. The ongoing saga over blue check marks at first seemed like a vanity issue, but scammers quickly turned it into an opportunity to steal peoples’ money and identities. Here’s what you need to know and how to keep a blue check scam from happening to you.
What is the Twitter blue check?
The Twitter verification system first launched in summer of 2009. Kanye West, Tony La Russa and other celebrities complained to the company that people were impersonating them on the platform. At that point, Twitter reps started reaching out to celebrities and influential people to confirm they were who they claimed. They didn’t accept requests for verification, but when they were able to confirm identities, they issued the “real” account holder a badge with a blue tick mark that showed up next to their username.
That let people know they were hearing from and interacting with the actual celebrity, political candidate or activist, not an impersonator. It also made famous people happy because not just anyone could get a blue check, so it was a symbol of exclusivity and status. However, not long after Elon bought Twitter, he decided to shake things up.
“Twitter’s current lords and peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bulls**t. Power to the people! Blue for $8/month.” Musk tweeted on November 1.
Basically, this allowed anyone to get verified if they were willing to pay $8/month. In addition to getting a blue check by their username, Musk also said verification and subscription would give users:
- Priority in replies, mentions and search (in other words, more content visibility)
- The ability to post longer videos
- Fewer ads
- Secondary tags for public figures
On November 5, Twitter launched an updated version of its app that allowed users to pay $7.99/month to receive the same blue check mark prized by public figures. Almost immediately, impersonators took advantage and scammers jumped into action.
Why people want a blue check
If you’re not a public figure, why would you pay $8/month for an account on a free social media platform? Individuals and brands do so because it’s a form of social proof. Since the beginning of social media, scammers have been creating fake accounts to impersonate users and deceive the public so they can steal money, data and identities.
A verification process could be a very good thing. For businesses, it could prevent the creation of duplicate accounts that lead to PR nightmares. For individuals, it levels the playing field – you would no longer have to be famous to be able to prove you are who you say you are and to lock down a username. For everyone, verification could cut down on false news and misinformation.
For good or evil?
Is Musk’s idea a stroke of genius that will make Twitter a haven for users or a half-baked idea that appropriates account holder money to pay for Elon’s latest expensive acquisition? That depends on who you ask. Horror author Steven King’s reaction went viral when he refused to pay a monthly fee to keep his blue check and tweeted, “they should pay me. If that gets instituted, I’m gone like Enron.” Other current blue check holders agreed.
Opposing voices pointed out that paying for something that used to be free might lead to a better experience. When online services are free, often users are the product. Platforms make user eyeballs available to advertisers for a fee and algorithms are all about maximizing revenue.
Whether Twitter Blue is a positive long-term change or not, it created immediate concerns. Fake accounts exploded on the site.
The world found out just how damaging scams can be when an account claiming to be the pharmaceutical Eli Lilly and Company tweeted “We are excited to announce insulin is now free.” The account holder had purchased a blue check, so it looked like the statement came from the company’s official account. Eli Lilly stock plummeted 4.5 percent. Twitter temporarily disabled new Twitter Blue subscriptions. Now it appears figuring out how to bring about the desired change is going to take some time.
Is Twitter a scammer’s paradise?
Almost as soon as Elon announced blue checks for everyone, scammers jumped into action. Bad actors posing as Twitter officials sent emails encouraging people to verify login information to get the badge for free. Users who fell for it served hackers their personal information on a silver platter.
In addition to email phishing, scammers spread mayhem on the platform itself. Originally all people had to do to get a check mark was sign up for the subscription service. Scammers purchased verified accounts that had names similar to noteworthy figures or brands and used those accounts to create trust for crypto scams, solicit donations, spread disinformation and more.
Currently, Musk says Twitter plans to relaunch paid verification services with gold checks available for companies, gray checks for government agencies and blue checks for individual users. He promises all accounts will be manually authenticated to eliminate the possibility of impersonators, scammers and troll accounts.
How can you avoid Twitter Blue scams?
With a fast-moving situation, more scams are bound to occur in the days ahead. Stay safe in bluebird app land by knowing how to spot potential threats and hazards, and by taking these steps to safeguard your identity.
- Use a password manager so your device will autofill for trusted sites, but prompt you to enter credentials if you click on a link meant to scam you.
- Turn on two-factor authentication everywhere so if crooks do get your passwords, they can’t use them.
- Don’t click login buttons on emails. Go to the business site you normally use and log in from there.
- If you’re not sure whether an account is legit, look at the number of followers. Public figures and large organizations will have high follower numbers scammers might lack.
- Ignore messages that threaten you’ll lose access or privileges if you don’t verify. Contact Twitter support directly if you think there could be a problem with your account.
- If you get the feeling something is a scam, listen to your gut.
Report suspected scams
BBB Scam Tracker allows users to submit a report if they suspect they’re being targeted or know someone who has been the victim of a scam. We share those reports with federal, state and other agencies to stop scammers in their tracks, and we warn the public about what’s going on. View scam research, submit a report or look up scams with the free tool located here.
BBB of Central East Texas contributed this article.