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GTA 6 speculations are far from over, and fans anxiously await official details about the title. While the original developers, Rockstar Games, have not revealed much to appease fans, a fake Twitter account impersonating the American gaming company bamboozled players with a false release date for the upcoming Grand Theft Auto entry.
Smart Twitteratis quickly exposed the bogus account, but many casual users fell for the ruse and believed the information. Although the account was immediately suspended, this raised many concerns among fans about future sources of information.
Fake Twitter account misled fans about the GTA 6 release date
On November 10, 2022, a Twitter handle impersonating Rockstar Games tweeted that GTA 6 would be released on November 18, 2022.
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The account had the profile name "Rockstar Games" and the gaming company's logo in its profile picture. It also displayed a blue verification badge next to its name. However, the username was forged to appear identical to the official account.
The official username of Rockstar’s Twitter account is "@RockstarGames," and the fake profile took the last two letters and changed it to "@RockstarGamse." Both usernames appear identical at first glance, leading players to believe they are the original.
The tweet was also composed in a formal tone, with many words and phrases taken from Rockstar's newsletters. All of these elements, when combined, can easily fool inattentive users.
Twitter users' reactions to fake news
Many GTA fans raised the issue and reported the profile, resulting in its removal from the social media platform. Credible Rockstar Games informant Ben mockingly congratulated the account owner for wasting $8 on Twitter's latest "Twitter Blue" feature, a paid monthly subscription that allows anyone opting-in to the service to have a blue checkmark.
Mutahar, a well-known gamer, also condemned the act of duping GTA fans.
Many users pointed out the small difference between both real and fake profiles.
What prompted the issue to occur?
Twitter's recent administrative changes have caused numerous issues and apprehensions. Elon Musk, the new CEO of the company, launched a new subscription plan on November 9, allowing anyone to obtain the blue profile verification tick for $8 per month.
As part of the subscription plan, any profile can receive a verification badge. As soon as the new plan went live, some people began abusing the feature to disseminate false information.
The fake tweet about GTA 6 is also a result of this, which has caused fans to question the mechanism. Many people are concerned that this will increase the number of fake news and scamming incidents on the website.
However, Rockstar isn't the only company impersonated on Twitter. Nintendo and Valve are also among the victims. Scammers even forged Elon Musk's profile and spread false information about him. Musk has said that anyone impersonating a public figure without the word "parody" written on their profile is liable for suspension from the platform.
