The Black Swan author, Nicholas Taleb, flags impersonator on Twitter; fraud account suspended

Some followers told Nassim Nicholas Taleb that a similar thing happened to the social-media platform’s owner Elon Musk itself

Nassim Nicholas Taleb, the author of The Black Swan, was being impersonated on Twitter, according to a tweet from the mathematical statistician and expert on randomness.

The impersonator went by the handle @nakthataleb and used the same description, and cover and profile photos. Taleb’s handle is @nntaleb.

Also read: Elon Musk says this new Twitter feature can reduce impersonation risk

Going by the tweet posted by the author of The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, this seems to be a recurring problem for him. The tweet read: “Friends, another warning. This account @nakthataleb is impersonating me and trying to contact (DM) followers to scam them.”

As of now, thanks to Taleb and his followers reporting it, the account stands suspended. But Taleb’s tweet suggests that this might just be a temporary respite.

His post added, “He closes his account on the occasion to avoid detection, then comes back.”

To the account suspension, Taleb wrote, “Thanks. It feels uncomfortable when someone uses your name to prey on innocent people.”

His followers reported being taken in by the scammer, if only momentarily.

Edmond Morcos (@EdMorcos) tweeted: “He followed me few days ago on twitter, minutes after I had seen you personally @ CDG … for a sec I thought the follow was really from you… what are the odds? *laughing emoji*” CDG was for Charles De Gaulle airport.

Taleb responded to this tweet asking if they had a conversation at the airport, and Morcos replied in the negative and added, “But I should have done so”.

Another person said that this imposter followed them and offered a business opportunity. They just found it “strange”.

Some followers told Taleb that a similar thing happened to the social-media platform’s owner Elon Musk itself. Fawzan (@alshfaw) tweeted: “Yes he (Taleb’s impersonator) contacted me last week, and I reported him. But don't worry this is so common. Today Elon followed me (same profile photo and display name), different ID, they change a letter or two. That's why Verified Blue is important.”

The post was also followed by a few clever comments that played on probability, seeing that Taleb’s expertise and interest lie in that line of study and philosophy. For example, one person posted a “fat tail event”.