social media Scam
X (Twitter) “Verified” Badge Abuse Scam
Bad actors buy verified badges and mimic brands to push phishing links or pump-and-dumps. WebVetted captures name changes, handle history, and outbound URLs so you can escalate quickly.
Red flags
- Account display name matches your brand but handle does not.
- Verified badge was purchased recently and location is hidden.
- Tweets link to wallet drainers or fake support forms.
How to Respond
- Analyze the handle via the X Checker for previous names and linked domains.
- File an impersonation report with X and include your WebVetted evidence packet.
- Alert customers on official channels and share the real support links.
📌 Case study
A crypto scammer bought verification and mirrored a DeFi brand, funneling users into a drainer contract. Another pretended to be a major airline during a storm and redirected travelers to a WhatsApp booking line.
Related tools
social media Scam
X (Twitter) Impersonation Airdrop Scam
Scammers clone official project accounts on X and post airdrop links that drain wallets. WebVetted reviews account age, follower overlap, and linked smart contracts so you can prove the account is fake.
Red flags
- Username swaps l for I or adds underscores to mimic the brand.
- Replies filled with identical “thanks for the airdrop” comments from new accounts.
- Airdrop link points to a non-official domain or requires seed phrases.
How to Respond
- Feed the account into the X Checker to examine verification status and follower quality.
- Compare the airdrop domain to URLs announced on the project’s official channels.
- Report the account through X’s impersonation flow and warn your community Discord.
📌 Case study
We shut down a fake Optimism account that replied to every governance tweet with an airdrop site. Another impersonator copied a hardware wallet brand and pushed a zip file disguised as a firmware update.
Need evidence for a bank or police report?
Generate a full entity dossier plus user-submitted reviews and then share the PDF with law enforcement or platform trust teams.