Bilal Maqsood asks fans to report fake accounts of Anwar Maqsood citing threat to life

Musician clarified that his father remains inactive on social media

Renowned Pakistani singer Bilal Maqsood recently took to Twitter to address the issue of a fake account impersonating his father, the legendary writer and satirist, Anwar Maqsood. In his tweet, Bilal expressed concern about the safety of his father's life due to such fraudulent activities and urged his followers to report the fake account. 

The singer also clarified that his father does not post anything on social media and that the actual account had only three posts, which was created to report all fake accounts impersonating the humorist. "These kinds of fake tweets only put my father's life in danger," highlighted Bilal. "This guy has already blocked me. Please can you all report this account?"

Continuing further, the musician wrote, "[My father] does not post anything on social media. His actual account has only 3 posts. We made that account so we can report all the fake ones." Prior to this, when the veteran comedian joined Twitter, he uploaded two videos to establish the authenticity of his account and combat the fake ones. In the first video, he directly addressed the impersonator 'Anwar Maqsood' to announce his presence on Twitter and requested his followers to report all other accounts claiming to be him. However, the video was later reposted on all the fake accounts, causing confusion and making it challenging to identify the genuine profile.

These kinds of fake tweets only put my Abbu’s life in danger. This guy has already blocked me. Please can you all report this account. Abbu does not post anything on social media. His actual account has only 3 posts. We made that account so we can report all the fake ones. pic.twitter.com/BP5G749sEy

— Bilal Maqsood (@bilalxmaqsood) July 19, 2023

Undeterred by this, the renowned television presenter was determined to clear up the misunderstanding. He uploaded another video in which he explicitly mentioned his personal account's username, AnwarMaqsood01, to debunk the mystery surrounding the real account. He assured his followers that any other accounts bearing his name were false and urged them to report those imposters if they genuinely cared for him.

This is my official account. I request you to report all other accounts that are impersonating me.
Thank you. pic.twitter.com/2qTXtCZJ6n

— Anwar Maqsood (@AnwarMaqsood01) June 7, 2020

I’m posting this new video with the actual username so there’s no room for confusion. Please report all other fake accounts. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/X2RZCvHI7x

— Anwar Maqsood (@AnwarMaqsood01) June 8, 2020

The issue of fake accounts using the writer's name to post political statements came to the forefront through a video posted by a user on social media. In the video, the Pride of Performance recipient clarified that he neither operates any social media handles nor has any affiliation with the tweets posted under his name. Expressing his technological limitations, he humorously mentioned carrying an old phone with no ability to send messages properly. Apologising to those who might have been affected by the fake tweets, he reiterated that he has nothing to do with them and disavowed any political statements attributed to him on social media.

On the request to help tackle his fake account profiles - Anwar sb was gracious to record a video to clarify that he does NOT controls or manage any social media account

Please report all Fake profiles across all social media platforms that are being run on his name

Thank you https://t.co/90gA70mGUZ pic.twitter.com/2gycVsyOpT

— Awab Alvi (@DrAwab) June 6, 2020

The incident sheds light on the rampant issue of online impersonation and fake accounts, posing potential risks to public figures. The efforts made by his family and supporters to identify and report these fraudulent profiles underline the importance of cybersecurity and vigilance in the digital age.

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