This is bound to happen: Twitter users are impersonating real companies, and the accounts are being “verified” due to changes made to the Blue Check system.
Nintendo, Rockstar Games, Twitch, and Valve are just a few of the companies that have fallen victim to fake accounts, all with the little blue “Verified” checkmark.
You see, thanks to a new policy implemented by Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk, anyone can now get a blue tick next to their name for just $8.
Until the new policy goes into effect, the only way to get a blue check next to the Twitter handle is by actually verifying it. Verification is completely worthless right now, as anyone can pay a fee to get one.
This new feature has caused all kinds of confusion among users. For example, a “new” Nintendo of America account with a blue tick popped up on the social network, with a tweet showing Mario reaching out to people. Obviously, most people quickly figured out that it was a fake account, considering Mario would never give anyone a one-finger welcome in Kentucky, but it still caused some uproar.
A fake Valve account was also created to make people think the company’s “next competing platform” was a project called “Richocet: Neon Prime” (thanks to Eurogamer).
Rockstar and Twitch also have fake accounts created in their names.
In addition to the “Twitch” account, some accounts have been suspended because it was a parody account.
Yesterday, to help people distinguish which accounts are legitimate, Twitter launched an “official” tab for users like Nintendo, and what have you. However, Musk decided he didn’t like it and dropped the new designation verification.
In a tweet, Musk said Twitter will “do a lot of stupid stuff in the coming months” and will “keep what works, change what doesn’t.”
It remains to be seen if the blue check system will change. However, in the meantime, you can see if the Twitter account has paid the blue tick or is verified for some other reason by clicking the Verified button on the user’s profile.
