【Watch Believer Online】

If there’s another Elon Musk out there,Watch Believer Online it just became a little bit harder for them to join Twitter.

Thanks to cryptocurrency scams, Twitter is now automatically locking any account set up on the website that makes its display name “Elon Musk.” Users who change their display name to Musk’s will be greeted by a Twitter locked account page requiring the user to solve a Google reCAPTCHA as well as verify their phone number.

SEE ALSO: For the love of god stop sending 'Elon Musk' your Ethereum. It's a scam.

Twitter is taking this step after a barrage of cryptocurrency “giveaway” scams have inundated its platform.

The scam is actually quite simple to pull off. A fake account is set up to resemble an influential tech or cryptocurrency figure’s account as closely as possible. Elon Musk, with all the mainstream attention surrounding his companies, has been a very popular target.

When a Twitter celebrity tweets, the scammer with the fake account that mimics the target's jumps into action. A fake Elon account tells real Elon’s followers that if they send cryptocurrency to the link included in a tweet, they will get multiples of the cryptocurrency sent back to them in return.

As we’ve previously discovered, many Twitter users aren’t spotting the difference between real Elon and fake Elon and are falling for it, sending their crypto to fake Elon but receiving nothing in return.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

While the scammers have been bilking trusting Twitter users out of all sorts of cryptocurrency, the scam seems to have had a focus on Ethereum. The scammer problem has been so bad surrounding Ethereum that even Elon Musk pointed out the magnitude of bots pretending to be him in his replies.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin is very aware of the problem and has begged Twitter to intervene and do something about the problem. He’s pleaded for help not just via his tweets but also by changing his display name to Vitalik "Not giving away ETH" Buterin. Buterin also put a disclaimer in his Twitter bio “Not giving away ETH.”

Well, it seems like with this step Twitter is finally stepping up to the plate and doing something about it. As Gizmodo points out, Twitter’s locked account measures are happening for accounts set up to mimic other tech figures too.

But scammers are already working on finding ways to get around this new security measure. Just yesterday we reported on an old FOX show’s verified Twitter account being hacked to partake in this very scam. The formerly dormant @AlmostHumanFOX Twitter account was pretending to be Justin Sun, the founder of TRON, an influential blockchain company.

As the owner of a non-dormant verified account, I checked to see if a person in control of a verified account would be able to change its display name to say, Elon Musk, without issue.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

They can.

While Twitter’s security updates might make scammers’ lives harder, try as it might, its clear these kinds of scams are from over on Twitter.

---

Featured Video For You

---

This tech designer turned a Gamecube into what?

---

Topics Social Media X/Twitter Cryptocurrency Elon Musk

• Deals
• Shopping
• Tech
• Social Good
• Games
• Science
• Entertainment
• Life

• Outdoor speaker deal: Save $20 on the Soundcore Boom 2
• Deals of the day Oct. 3: Amazon devices, Crockpots, a ChomChom pet hair remover, and more
• Staff Picks: Sophie Pinkham, Robyn Creswell, Kelly Reichardt
• Mitch McConnell dildo on sale by sex toy company Dame
• Q&A with tendercare founder and CEO Shauna Sweeney
• Introducing the NYRB Classics + Paris Review Book Club
• The Silent
• The soft life and quiet quitting: How one led to the other
• This is the fattest of the extremely fat bears
• An Illustrated Column by Vanessa Davis

• Netflix is 'exploring the opportunity' to stream on Nintendo Switch
• Hawaii agency behind false missile alarm unknowingly exposes password
• Zayn Malik shares birthday message from Deadpool on Instagram
• Amazon founder Jeff Bezos will donate $33 million to DACA students
• 'John Wick' is coming to TV (and yes, Keanu Reeves will be there)
• The Cranberries lead singer Dolores O'Riordan dead at 46
• All 15 seasons of 'ER' are coming to Hulu
• Saudi Arabia lifts 35
• Sam Rockwell delighted 'SNL' viewers with an accidental F
• Writer Robert Kirkman addresses the major twist on 'The Walking Dead'

• Amazon Pet Day: All the best deals
• In Memory of Leon Russell, Watch “A Poem Is a Naked Person”
• What to expect from the Apple October event 2023
• Max adds tribute to Matthew Perry before every 'Friends' season
• 5 Ways to Access a Locked Windows Account
• Best Tile tracker deal: Score the Tile Mate Essentials 4
• The Best and Worst Thing About Windows? They’re Transparent.
• Win Free Tickets to 92Y’s Celebration of Albert Murray
• This fat bear's before and after photos are stunning
• The Invisibility Cloak: An Interview with Ge Fei

• NYT Strands hints, answers for May 5
• How to make your iPhone's light flash when you can't find it
• Richard Howard Will Receive Our 2017 Hadada Award
• How to watch the Apple 10/30 event — expect new MacBooks at 'Scary Fast' live stream
• Best vacuum mop combo deal: Save $140 on the Tineco Floor One S5
• Taylor Swift's 'Now That We Don't Talk' is now a TikTok trend
• O Rangasayee: Mark Morris Revisits His Iconic Solo Dance
• Best fitness tracker deal: Save 20% on Fitbit Luxe
• Best Sony headphones deal: Over $100 off Sony XM5 headphones
• Mitch McConnell dildo on sale by sex toy company Dame