Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Oct 18, 2025

Did Firms Lose Billions Due To Fake Twitter Accounts With Blue Tick? Theories Fly

Did Firms Lose Billions Due To Fake Twitter Accounts With Blue Tick? Theories Fly

Some Twitter users say "policy" tweets by impersonators led to share price fall for major companies; other argue "not everything is about Twitter"
The flood of "verified" blue-tick accounts on Twitter earlier this week — a fallout of Elon Musk's idea of making it available to anyone who pays $8 a month — cost some companies "billions", alleged several industry watchers on the social media platform. They blamed impersonators who used the company name, logo and a similar-sounding handle, got the handle "verified", and then tweeted "decisions" that spooked investors, leading to a fall in share prices.

Many cited the impersonation of US-based weapons maker Lockheed Martin. A handle called @LockheedMartini (notice the extra 'i' at the end) used the name of the company and tweeted: "We will begin halting all weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the United States until further investigation into their record of human rights abuses."

The same day, the company's share price fell 5 per cent on the New York Stock Exchange, with many drawing a link between the false tweet and the drop. "Twitter Blue erased a few billion in market cap for Lockheed Martin," said one user.


But others countered the theory, showing that the defence industry in general was down.


Similar theories went around about medicine maker Eli Lilly, which too lost about 5 per cent value in share price on a day that a parody account with a verification mark said it would provide insulin for free.

But Twitter users argued that there were other reasons behind the fall: "Not everything is about Twitter."


The impersonating accounts were later suspended — like many others — as Elon Musk announced that such accounts should clearly identify as "parody". Quickly thereafter, Twitter Blue was paused, just days after it was launched after Musk took over two weeks ago.

For the record, there was a way to check for authenticity: the "official" tag on such companies' actual twitter accounts. But that tag, too, came and went, and then returned for some, adding to the confusion triggered by Elon Musk's many moves towards his stated target of reducing losses.

Stock market losses or not, companies certainly suffered an image problem.

Pharma major Eli Lilly apologised and clarified that it will not provide free insulin. In this case, another impersonator account, also verified, had tweeted a fake apology too: “We can do this whenever we want and there's nothing you can do about it.” Activists have for years said life-saving insulin should be distributed free of cost.

Activism or political commentary was a running theme. Another since-suspended verified account pretending to be British Petroleum tweeted, “Just 'cause we killed the planet doesn't mean we can't miss it.”

One account even impersonated TeslaElon Musk's automotive company — using a verified handle @TeslaReal, and called its electric cars "the most advanced explosive device in the world". The handle is since back, without those tweets or the blue tick.

Mass layoffs — Elon Musk has let go of half the company's around 7,500 staff — mean it's exceedingly difficult to vet accounts at the time of payment. Hence the pause on Blue until his next move.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
×