Murdoch's 'wife' an imposter on Twitter

Wendi Deng Murdoch's verified Twitter account turned out to be bogus Tuesday when someone else admitted to posing as Rupert Murdoch's wife on the microblogging site.

Wendi Deng Murdoch's verified Twitter account turned out to be bogus Tuesday when someone else admitted to posing as Rupert Murdoch's wife on the microblogging site.

'Hello Twitter. As News International has finally come to their senses, it's time to confirm that yes, this is a fake account. I'm not Wendi,' the anonymous voice behind @Wendi_Deng said.

It appeared the account was set up on New Year's Day, a day after the global media tycoon, according to a spokesman for his British newspaper unit News International in London, made his Twitter debut.

'Joining my husband @rupertmurdoch in our new digital adventure on Twitter,' read the imposter's profile, alongside a photo of the smiling Murdochs at a public function.

'To those of you who kept maintaining the account was fake, even after being verified, good on you for being suspicious,' @Wendi_Deng stated Tuesday in a lively exchange with his or her nearly 10,000 followers.

'Above all, this was a bit of fun. If you don't think it was, then you'd better ask Twitter to remove every other spoof account too.'

Twitter says it grants 'a Verified Badge' to well-known users, such as celebrities, once it has established their authenticity.

To which @Wendi_Deng, disclosing no personal details, tweeted: 'What verification process?... There was none. I was never contacted.'

Murdoch, 83, and his Chinese-born wife, 43, have been married since 1999.