New Japan Pro Wrestling urged fans to be wary of “verified” Twitter accounts after the social media company removed legacy blue checkmarks.
On Saturday, NJPW asked its fans to beware of tweets and “especially unsolicited DMs” from accounts that appear to represent members of its roster.
Accounts “may or may not represent who they claim,” New Japan warned.
It added:
Due to changes in the verification system for Twitter users, wrestlers and NJPW affiliated accounts may or may not have blue verified checks.
The advisory comes after Twitter removed legacy verification, which was originally intended to assure users of the identity of accounts that were “authentic, notable, and active.”
The verified symbol now denotes membership of Twitter Blue, which is a subscription service open to accounts that are active, have a full user name, a profile photo and a linked telephone number.
New Japan pointed its fans to the roster profiles on its official website to verify that wrestlers’ Twitter accounts are genuine.
It also listed its official organizational accounts.
