(KRON) — Did LeBron James request a commerce from the Lakers? Did the Raiders fireplace their head coach? Sports activities followers have been left duped and confused after Elon Musk up to date Twitter to permit customers to pay for a “verified” blue examine.
Beforehand, accounts have been verified by Twitter as a result of they have been, “notable in authorities, information, leisure, or one other designated class.” Now, Twitter Blue subscribers pays $8 to get the identical blue examine.
Some accounts obtained the blue examine and instantly modified their profile to mimic that of a well-known particular person. The consequence was chaos, notably within the sports activities world, the place a number of information is damaged on Twitter.
One Twitter person with the deal with @KINGJamez modified his data to replicate Lakers celebrity LeBron James. The account posted a photo of James with the message, “I’m formally requesting a commerce. Thanks #LakersNation for all of the help by way of the years. 💯Onto greater and higher issues!”
The account has since been suspended, however not earlier than some customers have been fooled. And the pranks didn’t cease there.
One other person impersonated ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter, posting that the Las Vegas Raiders had fired head coach Josh McDaniels. New York Yankees aid pitcher Aroldis Chapman and Edmonton Oilers participant Connor McDavid have been additionally impersonated.
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Some pranks have been extra sinister. An account impersonating the Pittsburgh Steelers falsely posted that quarterback Kenny Pickett died.
Musk chimed in concerning the scenario on Twitter. He tweeted that accounts that have been verified with out shopping for Twitter blue shall be marked, “Legacy Verified. Might be notable, however may be bogus.” A tweet from the Twitter Assist account learn, “We’re not at present placing an ‘Official’label on accounts however we’re aggressively going after impersonation and deception.”
