The fake Twitter account has been blocked now.
To address the rising issue of users impersonating well-known companies, Twitter Inc. discontinued the $8 subscription programme it introduced earlier this week. However, despite this action, phoney accounts continue to exist and remain a source of problems for brands.
Recently, a fake Twitter account impersonating the soft drink brand Pepsi tweeted that "Coke is better." The post perplexed internet users because this tweet was posted by a verified Twitter account. However, a closer examination of the handle reveals that PEPICO, not Pepsi, is the account's legitimate owner. The phoney account has been shut down.
However, this is not the first time that Twitter and major brands have encountered this difficulty. Twitter is struggling with impostor accounts since the company allowed paying subscribers to get verified blue check marks. One account claiming to be Nintendo Inc. posted an image of Super Mario holding up a middle finger, while another posing as pharma giant Eli Lilly & Co. tweeted that insulin was now free, forcing the company to issue an apology. A purported Tesla Inc. account joked about the carmaker's safety record.
Here are a few instances of how these fake identities misused the subscription service and threw the microblogging website into chaos.
However, because the issue is still present, the company has taken the most drastic measure to address it: account suspension. The @PEPICO account has been suspended, and moving forward, any other handles impersonating companies, political parties, or figures will be restricted.