iPhone Twitter Scam: 6 Morbid Trick or Tweets
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A Steve Jobs Twitter scam this week saw The Daily Mail tricked into reporting the possibility of Apple recalling the new iPhone 4.
The Daily Mail website was duped this week by a tweet from fake account ‘ceoSteveJobs’ announcing a recall for the iPhone 4: “We may have to recall the new iPhone. This, I did not expect.”
DailyMail.co.uk reported: “The much-vaunted new iPhone 4 may be recalled, Apple boss Steve Jobs revealed last night. Posting a message on the social networking site Twitter, the tycoon said… ” then quoted the fake tweet.
The microblogging site has been a rich source of cheeky hoaxes. Here’s a look at some of the juiciest untruths and Twitter-tattle propagated by the site in the past.
Britney Spears’ Demise
The official Britney Spears Twitter account was hacked and the message “Britney has passed today. It is a sad day for everyone. More news to come” posted.
Lindsay Lohan HIV Rumour
Hoaxers created a Photoshop’d version of Lohan’s dad’s Twitter page and wrote about his daughter’s life with HIV. Perez Hilton picked it up and the story exploded.
Kanye West Croaks It
“RIP Kanye West” became a trending topic on Twitter after the rumour began to circulate that the rapper had died in a car crash.
Natalie Portman Plunge
Slightly more inventive this time. Twitter fibbers spread a story about Portman coming to an end after falling off a cliff in New Zealand while filming the movie Swan Song.
Harrison Ford All at Sea
Microbloggers jumped at the chance to spread rumours that the veteran actor had died on a yacht off the coast of St Tropez.
Johnny Depp Car Crash
Twitter users stumbled upon a fake CNN website, created years previously, reporting Depp’s death in a car crash in France. They set about tweeting it, and “RIP Johnny Depp” moved swiftly into trending topics.
5 of the Best Fake Tweeters
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It’s great when stuff like this gets into mainstream media, because it proves that so often reporters don’t actually check their work!