{"id":12198,"date":"2025-10-17T15:14:51","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T15:14:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.digitalforensics.com\/blog\/?p=12198"},"modified":"2025-10-17T15:14:51","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T15:14:51","slug":"how-fake-blue-checks-on-social-media-perpetuate-cybercrime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.digitalforensics.com\/blog\/extortion\/how-fake-blue-checks-on-social-media-perpetuate-cybercrime\/","title":{"rendered":"How Scammers Make Fake Blue Checks & How to Spot Fake Checks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Social media allows us to not only connect with friends and family, but also follow the happenings of brands and public figures. For a long time, it was easy to denote these accounts from others. All a user had to do was look for a blue check mark next to the username to know it was a verified account. However, Social Media scammers<\/a> have managed to falsely represent themselves as trusted, verified accounts online. Policy changes on certain platforms have only expedited this issue. Now more than ever, it\u2019s important to be aware of fake blue check scams and how to differentiate real and fake verification<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>How Scammers Create Fake Blue Checks on Social Media<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the past, cybercriminals had to get creative with their efforts to forge a verified identity online. More technical bad actors worked to compromise the legitimate accounts of real public figures or organizations. Others tried more rudimentary tactics, like using characters or emojis in their username that bear a resemblance to the blue check. There are even dark web marketplaces where you can purchase accounts with a certain number of followers and a verification badge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Twitter Blue Changes the Cybercrime Landscape<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In late 2021, Twitter announced the roll out of Twitter Blue<\/a>, a subscription-based service that, among other features, granted users a blue check. This move made it incredibly difficult to differentiate between previously verified accounts and new Twitter Blue subscribers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter stated they had a review process that would be carried out before accounts received their blue check. Furthermore, any changes to account information would result in a temporary removal of the blue check until the account was reviewed again. This was intended to curb the possibility of Social Media impersonation<\/a> accounts, which violate Twitter\u2019s terms of service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the platform has been plagued with impersonation attempts<\/a> that have been fueled by Twitter Blue verification. Accounts have been able to impersonate figures like Donald Trump, LeBron James, and Adam Schefter. Nintendo and Apple TV+ both had accounts impersonate them. Some of these posts received tens of thousands of engagements before being removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Meta Follows Suit<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Not long after the Twitter Blue announcement, Meta revealed their plans to launch a similar subscription service \u00ad\u2014 Meta Verified<\/a>. Like Twitter Blue, Meta Verified allows users to purchase a blue check verification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upon the announcement, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated that the service would help improve authenticity and security across Facebook and Instagram. The use of government IDs to verify identities was supposed to decrease impersonation on the platforms. But as you will come to find in the next section, it hasn\u2019t completely gone to plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>How Scammers Actually Create Fake Blue Checks<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Today, scammers use a mix of social tricks and technical methods to create fake blue checks. Some buy compromised verified accounts, while others use fake IDs or exploit loopholes in the new paid verification systems. Here\u2019s how it often happens:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Common methods scammers use:<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n