Twitter User Uses Paid Verification Feature To Fake A LeBron James Trade Request
As the culture continues to grapple with the fact that the Twitter we once knew and loved may be gone, others are welcoming the changes under new CEO Elon Musk with an open mind.
In fact, now that the company is allowing users to pay $8 per month to receive a blue verification checkmark, there are people that are taking things a bit too far to present Twitter users with false information.
This time, someone used the elite status to cause a frenzy within the sports community by posing as LeBron James on the social media platform, Complex reports.
Fake News
“I am officially requesting a trade,” read a tweet from the impersonator of the NBA superstar. “Thank you #LakersNation for all the support throughout the years. On to bigger and better things! #ThekidfromAKRON #ImComingHome.”
The profile, which operated under the handle, @KINGJamez, might have been able to trick people because, at first glance, the account mirrored the same account that the real LeBron James currently has. Thanks to a profile picture that is the exact same as the one James uses, people could have been fooled, but there was a stark difference in the way that their user names are spelled.
This is not LeBron. It’s a random person who paid $8. He did not demand a trade. Would you know that by just looking at it? https://t.co/E9kacqmmgH
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) November 9, 2022
What's Real And What's Not?
It wasn’t soon before people quickly caught on to the attempted impersonation.
“This is not LeBron,” wrote NBC News reporter Ben Collins in a tweet. “It’s a random person who paid $8. He did not demand a trade. Would you know that by just looking at it?”
Here was the tweet. They’re banking on the fact that their moderation team will catch up to every single account impersonating someone — even if that person is impersonating a no-name government official.
This is going to be a nightmare that’ll be very funny before it’s scary. pic.twitter.com/8jdi2muxlV
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) November 9, 2022
Elon Musk's Twitter
Furthermore, Collins questioned Musk’s approach to fake accounts.
Earlier this week, the Tesla CEO threatened to suspend all accounts that impersonate individuals without making it known that they are parody accounts.
“They’re banking on the fact that their moderation team will catch up to every single account impersonating someone – even if that person is impersonating a no-name government official,” Collins continued in his post. “This is going to be a nightmare that’ll be very funny before it’s scary.”
