The Nigerian prince’s new gig: X location feature reveals new scam

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00:00In a faraway realm where the sun sets over the savannas of Africa and rises beyond the

00:05Himalayan foothills of India, a mysterious figure roams the digital winds. But it could

00:11also just be a scammer asking you for money by posing as your favorite X influencer.

00:19Over the weekend, X rolled out its About This Account feature globally,

00:24letting users click any profile to see username changes, account location, and how they connect

00:30to X. X's head of product called it an important first step to securing the integrity of the global

00:36town square. But the location aspect has sparked a wave of backlash after users found many MAGA-aligned

00:44and other U.S. politics accounts weren't even based in the U.S. And it wasn't just political

00:50accounts getting exposed. Another group may have been taking advantage of people, too.

00:55Take content creator Cooking with Kaya, for example. She has millions of followers on both TikTok and

01:00Instagram. An X account with a similar username posted her photos and videos and racked up more

01:06than 300,000 followers with a bio that says, DM for promo. Basically, pay them and they'll promote

01:13your goods. Similarly, after every photo or video of Kaya, the account replied pushing people to DM them

01:20to advertise products. And it worked. A recent post promoted an artist's song. Kaya has told her

01:27followers on Instagram to watch out for fake X and Facebook accounts, but that hasn't stopped the

01:33person behind this one from using her name and likeness to get paid. Until this weekend, most of their

01:39300,000 followers probably had no idea. But one click into about this account shows it's based in

01:46Nigeria. Kaya is from the United States. Another example, a popular account called The Man Maker,

01:53who frequently posts what some critics call toxic dating tips and health advice for men. While there is

01:59no name tied to this account like Kaya's impersonator, the profile picture is of actor Jason Statham.

02:06Like the other account, this one's bio says DM to grow your X account, and it promotes a sub stack

02:12and free newsletter. They have subscriptions set up writing, let's make men great again,

02:18where people can pay $3 a month for growth tips, DM response and personal guidance. But checking their

02:24info shows the account is based in India. They recently responded to the backlash writing,

02:30quote, sign of low testosterone. You hate someone because of their location.

02:34The feature has been helpful in exposing certain accounts, but users say some locations have already

02:41changed and suspect people are logging back into X with American VPNs, meaning you might not be seeing

02:47where they're actually based. So if you plan on paying for a service, double check who you're paying

02:53or just save the money, it might be easier these days. For more on this story and others, head over to

02:59san.com or download our mobile app. I'm Kennedy Felton with Straight Arrow News.