Here are some of the ‘verified’ fake Twitter accounts overtaking the platform

Soon after Musk launched the Twitter Blue premium subscription service, which grants blue-check “verification” labels to anyone willing to pay US$8 a month, or $9.99 in Canada, dozens of imposter accounts started popping up.

There are now two categories of “blue checks,” and they look identical. One includes the accounts verified before Musk took the helm and verified for being “notable in government, news, entertainment, or another designated category.” The other notes that the account subscribes to Twitter Blue.

From a fake account impersonating Ontario Premier Doug Ford tweeting jokes about keeping sick kids away from his cabin to an account masquerading as pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly & Co and tweeting that insulin is free, it has been a free-for-all atmosphere for Twitter users mocking the platform’s latest feature.

On Thursday, Elon Musk tweeted that any parody account must include the word “parody” in their name and not just their bio.

“To be more precise accounts doing parody impersonations. Basically, tricking people is not ok,” he said.

On Friday, Twitter Blue signups became unavailable due to the flurry of fake accounts.

Here are some of the tweets showing the fake accounts that are overtaking the platform, with some accounts taking days before being removed by Twitter: