WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Twitter has suspended a number of fake accounts that posed as groups of black Donald Trump supporters after attracting thousands of followers within a week.
The social media giant said it blocked multiple accounts in the network for violating rules against platform manipulation and spam.
Many of the accounts, claiming to be owned by the Trump re-election campaign, reportedly contained identical language, such as 'YES IM BLACK AND IM VOTING FOR TRUMP!!!'
One of the accounts, which displayed the image of a Black police officer, President Donald Trump and the phrase 'VOTE REPUBLICAN' as its profile picture, had around 24,000 followers.
The accounts that became active last week were disabled on Sunday.
Twitter did not mention how many fake accounts were blocked, but the Washington Post reported quoting Clemson University social media researcher Darren Linvill that a network of more than two dozen similar accounts, using identical, inauthentic language, generated more than 265,000 retweets or other amplifying 'mentions' on Twitter.
The attempt to fraudulently create Black support for Trump comes at a time polls show he enjoys only negligible support among Black voters.
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