Fake Eli Lilly Twitter account locked down after false claims of ‘free’ insulin
A verified Twitter account posing as the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly tweeted Thursday afternoon saying, “We are excited to announce that insulin is free now.” The account, with the handle @EliLillyandCo, used the Eli Lilly logo and had a verified checkmark.
The tweet generated more than 1,500 retweets and stayed up for several hours before the account was locked by Twitter.
The real Eli Lilly Twitter account, @LillyPad, tweeted, “We apologize to those who have been served a misleading message from a fake Lilly account. Our official Twitter account is @LillyPad.”
IndyStar reached out to Eli Lilly for comment. A spokesperson for the company said they “are aware of the fake account and in conversations with Twitter to address the matter.”
Back to the office:Elon Musk ends remote work at Twitter, warns staff of ‘difficult times ahead,’ reports say
launched its new verification system, which allows users to pay a monthly $8 fee. In the past several days, fake accounts have popped up impersonating President Joe Biden, Pope Francis, Nintendo and others.
Twitter owner Elon Musk laid off 50% of Twitter’s employees last week. Other high-profile employees, including Twitter’s head of moderation and safety Yoel Roth, resigned Thursday, according to the Washington Post.
matthew.vantryon@indystar.com.