Blog
Michelle Ghoussoub

Fake Beirut City Centre Twitter Account Angers Alcohol Lovers During Ramadan

In a strange turn of events, an unknown Twitter user sparked Internet fury and confusion on Monday when they impersonated Beirut City Centre by responding to questions about whether the mall was banning alcohol during Ramadan.

It all started with this question from Twitter user @MrR0land:


Sparks then began to fly on social media when Gino’s Blog reported that Beirut City Center was banning alcohol and hence “forcing Shari’a law” in Lebanon. While many were quick to participate in the debate, others were drawn to the very strange and unprofessional nature of the Tweets from what appeared to be Beirut City Center’s account.


Beirut.com contacted Beirut City Center’s customer service representative, who was unaware of the situation and stated that City Center had nothing to do with the bizarre account. RagMag magazine said on Twitter that the mall has confirmed they do, in fact, sell alcohol during Ramadan.

For the record, the legit City Center account account is @beirutcityctr, while the fake one is @beicitycentre. In the past few minutes, the fake account has changed their Twitter name and picture.

Gino’s Blog has since issued a statement apologizing for propagating incorrect information.

Perhaps most strange about the fake account is that it appears to have been started as early as April 2012, and is mostly dedicated to promoting City Center. We all love a good day of shopping, but this mall imposter may be the most dedicated fan yet.