A New York Times investigation has shone a new light on companies that sell fake followers to social media users.
Many for-sale Twitter bots have been linked to stolen identities.
At least one journalist has faced professional consequences for buying Twitter followers.

There's no drug like online validation, but the addiction could cost you your career.

That's the message of a New York Times article published Sunday investigating Devumi, a company that's become famous for selling enterprising social media users YouTube views, LinkedIn connections and, most notably, scores of fake Twitter followers. For as little as $10, you can buy 500 Devumi-created followers that will happily retweet and like anything you share.

Getting automatic engagement on your Twitter posts may sound like a great idea. After all, more than 80 percent of human resources professionals told SHRM last year that they used social media to recruit new employees. Just imagine: A potential boss checks out your profile, gasps at the follower count and ends up so impressed with your influence that he DMs you a job offer on the spot.

But there are consequences to inflating your Twitter numbers with bots. Here are just a few reasons to avoid taking advantage of fake follower services.

It affects others.

The bots sold online are often stolen identities. This has been going on for years — back in 2014, The Verge unveiled the prevalence of fake accounts on Instagram. Spammers copy a real person's name, avatar and photos to make a shell profile they can then sell to users seeking more likes.

"It's reposting my real photos with the same captions. One of the captions mentioned my friend, and he was notified and told me," Instagram user Mario Moretto told The Verge at the time.

Not cool.

It could soon be illegal.

After the publication of the Times story, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman tweeted that he was launching an investigation into Devumi's practices of impersonation and deception.

Devumi insists the followers it sells are real, but Schneiderman has his doubts.

"The internet should be one of the greatest tools for democracy—but it’s increasingly being turned into an opaque, pay-to-play playground," he wrote. "The growing prevalence of bots means that real voices are too often drowned out in our public conversation. Those who can pay the most for followers can buy their way to apparent influence."

There could be consequences.

Buying fake followers is not only frowned upon — it could also hurt you professionally. The Chicago Sun-Times suspended its film critic, Richard Roeper, on Tuesday amid rumors that he purchased Twitter followers. Slate reported that editor-in-chief Chris Fusco released a statement saying the paper is looking into "issues relating to Rich Roeper’s Twitter account" and "will not be publishing any reviews or columns by Rich until this investigation is complete."

It’s risky.

It isn't hard for potential employers to figure out what percentage of your fans are legit. Sites like twitteraudit.com make it easy to see how valid someone’s inflated following is.

As of Tuesday night, for example, only about 58 percent of President Donald Trump's 47.2 million followers were thought to be real.

There are better way to get followers.

Pumping up your social media presence can be a good way to show employers you're internet-savvy, interested in your work and well-versed in networking with major players in the industry.

If you want more followers, Sprout has tips: Try tweeting more, scheduling your content to publish throughout the day and using hashtags to help people find your account. You'll be an (authentic) influencer in no time.