Manchester United are stepping up its approach to dealing with impersonators making fake profiles on various social media platforms.
The internet is full of fake Manchester United news. There will be plenty of it this summer, especially when the transfer window opens. You will hear about United signing Player X, Y and Z, only to end up with different players.
Even though some of the rumours are ridiculous, it won’t stop those responsible since it gains significant traction on social media, where stories about United go viral every day. Many of these stories are made up and posted by impersonators.
It’s to be expected in the modern age. United are one of the world’s most-followed clubs and it gets more coverage than most clubs.
Sadly, it doesn’t stop with fake news. Several United players have fallen victim to rogue impersonators.
Manchester United plan crackdown on fake accounts
You may have noticed an increase in fake accounts appearing online, posing as Manchester United players, hoping to reach high engagement figures.
United are trying to take decisive action to get these fake pages removed from a variety of networks following a greater effort — in recent times — to target academy players and women’s team players.
According to the Daily Mail, United recently managed to close down an account impersonating academy star Tyler Fletcher, but there’s far more from where that came from.
The more fake accounts that appear, the bigger task United has at hand to stop them. It doesn’t help that some social media make it more complicated to achieve verification.
Users on X, formerly known as Twitter, must identify themselves as parody or fan accounts or risk being banned. TikTok, on the other hand, is said to be more complicated.
The report adds that United are eager to take the strongest possible action against impersonators.
Ayden Heaven is the latest victim to fake account
In recent weeks, TikTok accounts have emerged impersonating Ayden Heaven and Jack Moorhouse.
These accounts have attracted lots of followers, and the club is aware of their existence, but they have yet to get them taken down.
This explains why United are willing to help its players verify their official pages, as we’ve seen with Sekou Kone and Chido Obi.
It doesn’t help that some social media networks verify anyone once they pay for a subscription.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
