The official Twitter account of teen gymnast Carlos Yulo immediately gained that enviable blue checkmark a night after he warned users of a fake account posing as his.
The SEA Games athlete’s profile was verified right after he appealed to users to “report and block dummy accounts.”
The checkmark is a sign that Twitter has verified an “account of public interest” as authentic.
Yesterday, Yulo warned social media users through his Instagram account that Twitter user @carlos_yulo is a poser after it gained traction following his SEA Games appearances.
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“Hi, Twitter people! Gusto ko lang po sabihin na ito lang po ang official Twitter account ko @c_edrielzxs. Same username as my IG (Instagram). Please unfollow and report ‘yung ibang dummy account. Continue supporting atletang Pilipino. Maraming salamat po!” he said in a video.
The fake account surfaced last October when Yulo caught the public’s interest after winning in the men’s division of the world gymnastics competition in Germany.
It has since shared personal messages, inspirational quotes and retweets of updates of the 30th SEA Games, as well as Facebook and YouTube links for its followers to subscribe to.
There were people who recalled that Yulo, who maintains an Instagram presence, previously mentioned he did not own an account on Twitter.
This prompted them to warn social media users about the fake account, which led the gymnast to actually create one for himself.
Twitter verifies accounts that are deemed of public interest such as profiles “maintained by users in music, acting, fashion, government, politics, religion, journalism, media, sports, business, and other key interest areas.”
Verified accounts are not in any way endorsed by the microblogging platform, according to its help center.