TV personality Martin Lewis is well known for his top tips for avoiding scams and making the most out of your money. However, his likeness was recently used by scammers on Twitter to try and trick people into buying crypto currency in the wake of the site's verification issues.
Mr Lewis shared that a fake account had been set up, with a blue verification mark, appearing to be the MoneySavingExpert.com founder but it was Twitter's response that alarmed the TV personality and journalist the most.
He emailed Twitter, flagging the problem but received a surprising auto response with no actual words – just the poo emoji.
Discover, learn, grow. We are Curiously. Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
The Money Saving Expert tweeted: "So when we emailed Twitter's press office to discuss the blue tick verified fraudulent scammers account pretending to be me. The only reply is the auto-response below with one emoji..."
He then included a screenshot of the email response, which said nothing other than the poo emoji.
Lewis added his team had "managed to find a back channel to get in touch with someone" and the scammer's account has since been taken down.
On March 19, 2023, Twitter's owner Elon Musk announced that this bizarre change would be put in place, simply saying: "press@twitter.com now auto responds with [poo emoji]".
It's thought that the communications and press office has been completely gutted in the massive firing that Musk embarked on when he purchased the company, leaving no one to respond to Lewis' complaint.
The scammer impersonating Lewis was able to do so as Twitter's original verification process has been controversially scrapped in favour of Twitter Blue – a paid for service that gives you the verification symbol and extra features.
Before Musk bought Twitter, the popular social media app used a verification process to determine which accounts were real public figures and which were fake.
This involved strict tests, for example journalists, like Martin Lewis, had to present work and photo ID to prove they were who they said they were. Now anyone is able to purchase Twitter Blue for £11 per month, with minimal checks and impersonate anyone they choose.
For a short time, Twitter would differentiate whether accounts were "legacy verified" or verified by Twitter Blue - this has now changed and the explanation reads: "This account is verified because it’s subscribed to Twitter Blue or is a legacy verified account."
In this instance, a scammer paid for Twitter Blue and pretended to be Martin Lewis, appearing to launch a crypto currency scam with his name attached to fool people into handing over money. The account has since been shut down, but the webpage it linked to is still live.
Lewis himself has said he is paying for Twitter Blue as rumours swirled that legacy verified accounts would have their blue tick removed.
On March 29, he tweeted: "I've just paid for Twitter Blue verification, but pls don't read-across that this is a recommendation, or support for the changes. I'm in a peculiar position that scammers commonly impersonate me to steal from the vulnerable, so I feel obligated to do it to reduce that risk."
Unfortunately, paying for the heavily criticised Twitter Blue doesn't stop someone else doing the same and impersonating you, which is the main complaint from users.
The Mirror has reached out to Martin Lewis and Twitter for comment - we also received the auto response poo emoji from the social media site.
Do you have a story to share? We pay for stories. Email us at yourmirror@mirror.co.uk
