Experts said the recent changes to X’s verification processes have made it difficult for users to identify trusted accounts.
The icon can be bought by anyone who pays an £11 (roughly US$14) monthly fee for the site’s subscription service, renamed this month from Twitter Blue to X Premium. A gold tick is given to businesses that pay £950 (US$1188) a month. X’s terms and conditions do not state whether subscriber accounts are pre-vetted.
Who is at the highest risk for the new wave of phishing scams? Airline passengers and bank customers are among those most susceptible when complaining to companies through X.
Scammers impersonate customer service agents and respond under fake X monikers to trick victims into divulging their bank details to get a promised refund.
