Alex Madison | August 9th, 2017
How to Avoid Being Tricked by a Twitter Bot

The mainstream media has taken a lot of hits from @realDonaldTrump for allegedly reporting #fakenews, but President Trump himself was fooled this past weekend by a fake Twitter account. On Saturday evening, Trump retweeted “Nicole,†also known as @Protrump45, who tweeted at him to thank him for his hard work.
Almost immediately, users like @Rschooley found that the account exhibited Twitter bot-like behaviors, and Eliot Higgins of the Atlantic Council™’s Digital Forensics Lab determined that the account was part of an advertising campaign that used a botnet of fake Trump-supporter accounts to sell Trump-branded clothing. @Protrump45 has since been suspended from Twitter, along with a number of similar accounts.
The use of bots like the one Trump retweeted is becoming an increasingly common practice. Twitter bots are automated accounts that can post and engage with other users, usually around specified keywords, and botnets are networks of these accounts programmed to act in the same way. Bots aren’t inherently a bad thing; Twitter accounts for news outlets are usually automated to share newly published articles throughout the day.
However, large Twitter botnets – especially those that pose as human-linked accounts – can be effectively used to amplify a message online and produce tangible results; for example, different botnets were used to share pro-Trump and pro-Clinton messages during the 2016 election. The DOJ is even looking into a botnet operated by a Russian cyber criminal who is allegedly connected to attempts to interfere with the 2016 presidential election.
So, what was the President of the United States doing retweeting one of these fake accounts, and how can you avoid making the same mistake? While botnets can be very recognizable to those who know what to look for, a Twitter bot is typically created to trick users into believing the account is real.
While botnets can vary, there are a few common behaviors that suggest an account is automated. If an account is exhibiting more than one of these behaviors, you can be pretty confident that it is #fakenews:
- Posting excessively: If an account is posting hundreds of times per day, it is likely a bot.
- Using a stolen profile picture: Bots will often use generic or stolen photos as their profile and cover photos. Try running a reverse Google image search to find out if an account™’s profile picture is a stock image or is associated with multiple Twitter accounts.
- Sticking to a single subject: Accounts that only share content related to one subject or ideology (content exclusively from far-right and far-left “newsites,†for example) may be programmed to do so.
Recognizing Twitter bots that share fake news not only helps dampen the spread of disinformation on social media (a worthy enough reason to pay attention to bots by itself), but will also help you maintain your credibility online. It is especially important for people using social media to increase their profile as a thought leader to always check their sources, even on Twitter, before sharing content.
As of this posting, President Trump has yet to delete his tweet, which has now been retweeted 10,384 times. Don’t let yourself be one of the millions of people, including our president, who have been used by these fake news networks to amplify their own messages.
Alex Madison | August 9th, 2017
How to Avoid Being Tricked by a Twitter Bot

The mainstream media has taken a lot of hits from @realDonaldTrump for allegedly reporting #fakenews, but President Trump himself was fooled this past weekend by a fake Twitter account. On Saturday evening, Trump retweeted “Nicole,†also known as @Protrump45, who tweeted at him to thank him for his hard work.
Almost immediately, users like @Rschooley found that the account exhibited Twitter bot-like behaviors, and Eliot Higgins of the Atlantic Council™’s Digital Forensics Lab determined that the account was part of an advertising campaign that used a botnet of fake Trump-supporter accounts to sell Trump-branded clothing. @Protrump45 has since been suspended from Twitter, along with a number of similar accounts.
The use of bots like the one Trump retweeted is becoming an increasingly common practice. Twitter bots are automated accounts that can post and engage with other users, usually around specified keywords, and botnets are networks of these accounts programmed to act in the same way. Bots aren’t inherently a bad thing; Twitter accounts for news outlets are usually automated to share newly published articles throughout the day.
However, large Twitter botnets – especially those that pose as human-linked accounts – can be effectively used to amplify a message online and produce tangible results; for example, different botnets were used to share pro-Trump and pro-Clinton messages during the 2016 election. The DOJ is even looking into a botnet operated by a Russian cyber criminal who is allegedly connected to attempts to interfere with the 2016 presidential election.
So, what was the President of the United States doing retweeting one of these fake accounts, and how can you avoid making the same mistake? While botnets can be very recognizable to those who know what to look for, a Twitter bot is typically created to trick users into believing the account is real.
While botnets can vary, there are a few common behaviors that suggest an account is automated. If an account is exhibiting more than one of these behaviors, you can be pretty confident that it is #fakenews:
- Posting excessively: If an account is posting hundreds of times per day, it is likely a bot.
- Using a stolen profile picture: Bots will often use generic or stolen photos as their profile and cover photos. Try running a reverse Google image search to find out if an account™’s profile picture is a stock image or is associated with multiple Twitter accounts.
- Sticking to a single subject: Accounts that only share content related to one subject or ideology (content exclusively from far-right and far-left “newsites,†for example) may be programmed to do so.
Recognizing Twitter bots that share fake news not only helps dampen the spread of disinformation on social media (a worthy enough reason to pay attention to bots by itself), but will also help you maintain your credibility online. It is especially important for people using social media to increase their profile as a thought leader to always check their sources, even on Twitter, before sharing content.
As of this posting, President Trump has yet to delete his tweet, which has now been retweeted 10,384 times. Don’t let yourself be one of the millions of people, including our president, who have been used by these fake news networks to amplify their own messages.
- Brand
- The Fifth Estate: A Business Guide for Surviving “The Troubles”
- Here We Come
- Corporate Revolt Over Campaign Donations Shakes Political World
- What Happens Next?
- CSR & Sustainability
- Public Perception & the Biden Transition
- WATCH: Reputation Management with PRSA
- Over the River and Through The Woods
- Why Non-Profits are so Vulnerable to Crisis Risk
- The Threat to Free Markets
- What Happens When Nonprofits Get Caught In The Klieg Lights?
- You Took a PPP Loan. Now Get Ready to Talk About It.
- Communications
- The Fifth Estate: A Business Guide for Surviving “The Troubles”
- Here We Come
- The Ministry of Common Sense
- Why Should I Apologize? Lawyers vs. Communicators
- What Happens Next?
- CSR & Sustainability
- A Conversation with Abbe Lowell
- A New Year’s Resolution
- Public Perception & the Biden Transition
- WATCH: Reputation Management with PRSA
- Leveraging Legal Expertise in Communications
- Over the River and Through The Woods
- Company News
- Here We Come
- Recent Awards & Recognition
- Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
- What’s a Director to Do?
- LEVICK Announces Partnership with BCG
- A New Look
- Albert Krieger, 1923-2020
- LEVICK Announces Partnership with Jipyong
- Speaking to In-House Counsel
- Childhood Lessons
- LEVICK Announces New Webinar Series with Turbine Labs
- LEVICK Launches New Website
- Crisis
- Trump’s pardons undercut a decade of foreign lobbying law enforcement. What now?
- Fighting for the Rule of Law with Marshall Harris
- The Fifth Estate: A Business Guide for Surviving “The Troubles”
- What to expect as the clock approaches midnight
- How to Stop the Madness
- Corporate Revolt Over Campaign Donations Shakes Political World
- A Remembrance of Tommy Raskin
- No ‘justice’ in rep’s vote
- A Call for Orderly & Peaceful Transition of Power
- Recovering from the Greatest Sacrifice
- The Cost of Government Regulation and the Threat to Free Enterprise
- What Happens Next?
- Finance
- Here We Come
- The Threat to Free Markets
- Advisory & Insurance Services
- WATCH: Revolutionizing Litigation Finance
- Litigation Finance: Revolutionizing Litigation
- Consumer-Focused Solutions for Financial Health
- Event: Consumer-Focused Solutions for Financial Health
- Sports: Power and Money in a New Age of Social Justice
- The Balancing Act: The Role of Whistleblowers in American Commerce and Government
- The Evolving and More Powerful FARA
- FCPA & Compliance in a Time of Uncertainty
- Shareholders vs. Stakeholders: Is the Paradigm Shifting?
- Guest Column
- Guest Blog: The Mainstream Media Gets an A for Intellectual Arrogance, an F for Journalism
- Buckle up Directors: Cybersecurity Risk and Bankruptcy Risk Are Not Mutually Exclusive
- Buckle up Directors: Cybersecurity Risk and Bankruptcy Risk Are Not Mutually Exclusive
- South Africa: The Slow Decline of the ANC
- Why CSR Fails and How to Fix It
- What to Expect Following the European Elections?
- Buhari Inaugurated. What Now for Nigeria?
- Marketing- It’s Up To You…
- Crisis Management lessons from the air-crash investigation model
- The Future of War
- Health
- Food Issues & the Biden Administration
- Covid-19: The Pandemic that Never Should Have Happened
- Pharma’s Post-Pandemic Policy Outlook
- Keeping Hope Alive
- Real Herd Immunity
- The Fiction of College Sports Amateurism
- Mac Summit: Crisis Communications in a Post-Covid, Post-Election World
- Travel Industry Communications in the Age of Covid-19
- Track of Time
- Is C-19 Taking Women Lawyers’ Careers Back to the 1950s?
- Post-Pandemic PR Strategy
- Bankruptcy: A Culture of Transparency
- In Memoriam
- Snider’s Super Foods: Locally World Famous
- Speak Truth With Love, Not Anger
- In Memoriam: Stephen Susman
- Letter to the Movement
- John Lewis’ Life Bridged the Best of America
- Albert Krieger, 1923-2020
- In Memoriam of Marcia Horowitz
- Jim Lehrer Passes Away
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Harold Burson Passes Away
- Interviews
- CommPRO: Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s Life & Legacy
- Richard Levick on “My Wakeup Call”
- Primerus Webinar: Into the Wind
- The Future of Baseball Post-Pandemic
- Webinar: The End of Brand Neutrality
- Thought Leadership & Organic Growth
- Man & Superman
- LEVICK Announces New Webinar Series with Turbine Labs
- Navigating Coronavirus Challenges in the Insurance Industry
- VIDEO: How to Anticipate & Avoid a Crisis
- What’s Next? with Julie Chase
- What’s Next?: California Electoral Behavior
- Law Firms
- Fighting for the Rule of Law with Marshall Harris
- Why Should I Apologize? Lawyers vs. Communicators
- You Took a PPP Loan. Now Get Ready to Talk About It.
- Beyond Black Swan: Positioning the law firm for the new normal
- A Salute to Personal Courage and the Rule of Law
- Cyber Risk Institute Expands Its Profile
- When a client becomes a law firm’s PR nightmare
- The General Counsel’s Dilemma
- A First Look at the Google Antitrust Suit
- The Latest Top Class Actions
- Trust on Trial: How Communicators Succeed in a World No Longer Trusted
- The Latest Settlements, Class actions, Investigations & More
- Litigation
- Fighting for the Rule of Law with Marshall Harris
- Why Should I Apologize? Lawyers vs. Communicators
- A Conversation with Abbe Lowell
- Leveraging Legal Expertise in Communications
- You Took a PPP Loan. Now Get Ready to Talk About It.
- Beyond Black Swan: Positioning the law firm for the new normal
- A Salute to Personal Courage and the Rule of Law
- Cyber Risk Institute Expands Its Profile
- When a client becomes a law firm’s PR nightmare
- The General Counsel’s Dilemma
- WATCH: Revolutionizing Litigation Finance
- Litigation Finance: Revolutionizing Litigation
- Our Work
- Recent Awards & Recognition
- The Cyber Bad Guys Are Getting Worse
- Crisis Communications & The Age of Cancel Culture
- Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
- Video: Conversations with American Legends
- Staying Ahead of the Crisis
- A New Era of Insurance Marketing
- Infographic: Judgment Free Zone
- Infographic: Barriers to Entry
- Infographic: History Meter
- Assistance for Law Firms Engaged in Pro Bono
- Webinar: The End of Brand Neutrality
- Public Affairs
- Trump’s pardons undercut a decade of foreign lobbying law enforcement. What now?
- Fighting for the Rule of Law with Marshall Harris
- The Fifth Estate: A Business Guide for Surviving “The Troubles”
- What to expect as the clock approaches midnight
- How to Stop the Madness
- Corporate Revolt Over Campaign Donations Shakes Political World
- No ‘justice’ in rep’s vote
- A Call for Orderly & Peaceful Transition of Power
- Recovering from the Greatest Sacrifice
- Food Issues & the Biden Administration
- The Cost of Government Regulation and the Threat to Free Enterprise
- What Happens Next?
- Risk
- Ingredients of Decency
- ESG Performance and Credit Markets
- The Coronavirus Saga is Just Beginning
- No. 1 Risk of the Decade
- The Risk Evolution of Corporate Risk
- Extend Risk Management Reach
- Collective Action
- Risk Identifying Software
- The New Risk of Doing Nothing
- Political Unrest In Hong Kong
- High-Profile Kidnaps in African National Parks
- Cyber Resilience
- Social
- The Ministry of Common Sense
- How to Stop the Madness
- A Remembrance of Tommy Raskin
- No ‘justice’ in rep’s vote
- A Call for Orderly & Peaceful Transition of Power
- Recovering from the Greatest Sacrifice
- CSR & Sustainability
- A New Year’s Resolution
- Dropping the Mic
- Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
- Crisis, Covid, DEI & the Election
- MLK’s Memphis Address
- Technology
- Constella Intelligence Announces Hunter for Improved Investigation Capability
- Cyber Risk Institute Expands Its Profile
- Digital Politics: The Future of Voting Technology
- Ethics in Electronics
- The Cyber Bad Guys Are Getting Worse
- A First Look at the Google Antitrust Suit
- The Pause
- Cybersecurity Incidents of the Summer
- The Changing Digital Economy and Cyber Risks
- The Future of U.S. Manufacturing
- Tech CEO Summer Superbowl hearing
- Technology & Privacy Alert
- This Week
- A Remembrance of Tommy Raskin
- A New Year’s Resolution
- Over the River and Through The Woods
- Dropping the Mic
- Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
- The Cyber Bad Guys Are Getting Worse
- What We Hear
- Track of Time
- Video: Conversations with American Legends
- Conversations with American Legends
- A New Era of Insurance Marketing
- American Legend