How to Find Out Who is Behind a Fake Twitter Account

Fake Twitter/X Accounts

Given many recent changes, we have overhauled this article to make sure we are bringing you to most cutting-edge information in this space. Although it is titled ‘How to Find Out Who is Behind a Fake Twitter Account’, we also bring you up-to-date intelligence on the platform, which changed hands and name to X in 2022.

When using the platform Twitter/X as it is intended, users can turbo-charge and globalise their communications, sharing, campaigning, advertising, networking, research and organising. But due to the misuse of the platform, it is vital you learn how to spot a fake Twitter/X account.

There is no definitive data on how many Twitter/X accounts are fake, however, a study of 1.269M accounts at the beginning of 2024 predicted that approximately  64% of the accounts were potentially bots.

Despite a decline in the use of Twitter/X since its change of ownership and name in 2022, Twitter/X still has over 10% of social media market share in the USA, with approximately 611 million active monthly users and 4.3 billion visits worldwide per month in 2024. 

How do you stay safe in such an online environment where so many threats lurk? Read on to find out.

With its 280-character limit on posts, Twitter/X is known as the virtual venue for pithy statements and sprinklings of hashtags to spark or inspire interest around various topics. 

But behind its official veneer, there are people using Twitter/X in ways that can be harmful to others. Of the significant number of Twitter/X users that are fake, many of these exist to cause harm.

Sometimes these ill-intentioned individuals are brazen in their use of Twitter/X for bullying, harassing, defamation, stalking or dark influencing purposes, using their own name and profile picture. 

In other instances, Twitter/X users with malignant intent create fake profiles with bogus personal details and a fake profile picture in order to hide their genuine identity. 

Cybertrace is highly skilled at dealing with these situations. We have proven methods to identify who is operating harassing Twitter/X accounts. And we offer you some tips if you wish to kick off the investigation yourself. But first, some context.

History

It’s important to understand the history of fakery on the Twitter/X platform in order to know where you stand and get to the bottom of any misuse of it.

In the days of yore (2009 to 2022), when the platform was still called Twitter, the platform had a system of verification. It verified users, mainly celebrities, influencers, journalists and other individuals and organisations who met specific criteria and adhered to Twitter’s rules, by placing blue check marks or gold badges beside their names. 

This was an attempt by the platform to be seen as taking steps to verify the identities and legitimacy of its users.

However, under its original ownership and name, Twitter made decisions about who was worthy of verification, denying it to certain individuals such as Julian Assange, certain organisations and lower-caste activists (Dalit) in India. 

Yet, Twitter also received much criticism when it verified the account of an alt-right activist in 2017. They paused the verification system at this point, without removing the verifications they had already provided.

Fast forward to 2022, when after the sale of Twitter to Elon Musk, an investigation into the platform was conducted, known as the Twitter Files. The investigation revealed a laundry list of instances of ideological biases demonstrated by the platform. 

The Twitter Files also revealed interference by the FBI and in turn, the platform’s attempts to control free speech, particularly around the issue of the sitting President’s (former Vice President’s) son, Hunter Biden, and his alleged dealings with a Ukrainian natural gas company. 

The whisper that ‘Twitter is not what it seems’, began to become more of a collective fuss, whether due to its censorial history, or its purchase by a controversial billionaire.  

In an attempt to make a more ideologically level playing field on the platform, Musk has since removed legacy blue checks from accounts. 

However, his next act of rolling out a paid verification system on Twitter/X instead has meant that the platform is now dealing with the unintended consequences of more fake profiles than before. 

But please do not be discouraged. To upgrade a well-worn cliche, know-how is power! 

With some Cybertrace know-how, you can run a series of your own investigative checks to try and work out who is behind the profile you are dealing with.

Username Analysis

First of all, take a good look at the account’s username. If it’s purporting to be the account of someone who is prominent in the community, or just someone you know of, but there is a quirk in the way it is spelled, this could be a warning sign that it is not legitimate. 

Also if the display name of the user does not match the handle this can also indicate an illegitimate account, either belonging to a bot or a bogus human user.

Profile Picture Analysis

A fantastic hack in fake Twitter/X account detection is running its profile picture through a reverse image-search tool, such as the free Google image search feature. If the picture belongs to another individual or is a stock photo, you will know immediately that this account is fake.

Bio Analysis

The way a Twitter/X bio has been written can give you an insight as to the legitimacy of the account. Empty or incomplete bios, inconsistent information or things that just don’t add up or jibe with the other content of the account should raise a red flag. And remember to pay no attention to the ticks. See above for a reminder of why not, but in a nutshell, if anyone can pay for a tick, then it is difficult to properly identify the user.

Content Analysis

Once called Tweets, but now called Posts; pay attention to their content  especially if it seems to generically focus on a single topic or a community, as though its user is obsessively focused on attacking the reputation or livelihood of their mark (which may unfortunately be you or your community). 

On its own, this kind of posting behaviour should not necessarily raise alarm bells, because after all, many people use Twitter/X  as they would a megaphone on the main street; an opportunity to virtually bellow their views to the world. However, it’s vital to take a well-rounded approach to your analysis and consider if the account is pushing a certain agenda, and hiding their true identity in the process. 
Language analysis is also a powerful tool to engage in this process.

Matching quirks and peculiarities in the content with content on other platforms can also bring you closer to identifying who is really behind an account. An example might be someone using exclamation marks, when they really should be using question marks. Something seemingly insignificant observed on other profiles either on Twitter/X or other platforms, combined with other intelligence, can provide you with a smoking gun.

Post Pattern Analysis

The time of Posts can give you some vital clues about the user’s schedule or the timezone they live in. Take note, as once again, combined with other information, these data points can help unlock the identity of the user.

Joined Date

A recent ‘joined’ date is seen as a red flag by many users on multiple social media  platforms. On Twitter/X it can indicate that someone has joined for the express purpose of conducting a scam or some other form of online misconduct. 

In any case, in this scenario, there will likely be limited content to analyse. It is therefore best to watch, wait and apply your other Twitter/X detective work as time goes on.

Following/Followers

Pay attention to the account’s followers and following counts. An account with no followers or one that follows too many accounts could indicate a red flag. This might mean the account’s posts are not worth following or worse, that it is fake. These two possibilities often go hand in hand.

Another red flag is if the account shows little or no interaction with others. Of course, many people are on Twitter/X simply to consume information, however, if an account is suddenly making contact with you, with a history of no contact with anyone else, this should make you wonder about their legitimacy.

Blocking and Reporting a Fake Twitter/X Account

If you believe a Twitter/X account is operating in violation of its terms and services, you can take action by clicking on the three dots to the right of the profile picture. There you will find options to block and/report the account. Next, follow the steps provided by Twitter/X to categorise the reason for your report. 

Be mindful though that changes to Twitter/X  mean that blocked users can now view the account page of the user that blocked them. However, blocked users still cannot follow, directly message, interact with or reply to those users. If you would like to take an extra step to deny a harassing or stalking user access to your posts, setting your profile to private is also an option.

However, a word of caution: if you intend to engage Cybertrace as your Cyber Investigator, we would strongly suggest that you do not block or report the offending Twitter/X account until the completion of the investigation. This will allow our team to gather as much intelligence as possible as to their true identity.

Hire a Cybertrace Investigator

Failing the above tips, hiring Cybertrace to investigate a fake and/or harassing Twitter/X account is your best bet in getting to the bottom of who is behind this behaviour. Your chances of compelling the offender legally to cease and desist are greatly increased with a Cybertrace report in your arsenal. 

Using our Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) Research practices, technical tools and meticulous approach to cyber investigations, Cybertrace will help you pull the curtain on the bogus Twitter/X user. 

If anyone can reveal the individual who is behind the fake Twitter/X profile it’s Cybertrace. Our impeccable investigative report will stand up in court bring the offender to justice.

There’s no need to put up with being harassed, bullied or defamed on Twitter/X. With Cybertrace’s handy tips and proven investigative capabilities, you can reclaim some peace of mind and enjoy your experience on Twitter/X once again.

Contact Cybertrace: If you, or someone you know is being harassed, impersonated or intimidated on Twitter/X, reach out and we can provide a free case assessment and quote.

*Once called Twitter, and now called X, this article uses the common blended term, Twitter/X. 

This post was revised on 27 November 2024 for improved readability and accuracy.