Rollout of Twitter's subscription service prompts string of accounts impersonating public figures

The impostors had paid the $7.99 required to display a verified blue tick -- an identifier previously reserved for notable people or institutions -- under changes brought in by new Twitter owner Elon Musk. There are steps people can take to determine whether a Twitter account with a blue checkmark is authentic, including checking the account's handle, creation date and how many followers it has -- and noting who is following it.