After Tesla chief Elon Musk announced he was pulling out of a multi-billion dollar deal to buy Twitter, a screenshot was shared hundreds of times online alongside a claim that his account on the social networking site had been suspended. This is false: the posts shared a screenshot of an imposter account. As of July 19, Musk's official Twitter account was active and archives show he has been consistently tweeting since news of the buyout row emerged.

The screenshot of what appears to be Musk's suspended Twitter account was shared in this Facebook post on July 11, 2022.

Above the screenshot, the caption reads: "Elon Musk: 'I'm terminating my deal to buy Twitter.' / Twitter to @ElonMusk".

The claim began circulating online after Musk announced he was pulling out of his US$44 billion deal to buy Twitter.

The tech firm has since filed a lawsuit in the US state of Delaware urging the court to order the billionaire to complete the deal, AFP reported.

But on July 15, Musk asked the court to reject the bid, requesting for the trial to be pushed back until next year, citing the complexities involved in the case.

The post was shared hundreds of times here, here and here on Facebook in countries including Malaysia, Mexico and Morocco.

It was also shared in the United States and South Africa on Twitter.

Comments on the posts indicated some people were misled by the claim.

One user wrote, "Twitter is being brutal".

"Knew that would happen", another said.

However, the screenshot shows...

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