If you’re impressed by the tens of thousands of followers that “social media guru” who just followed you has amassed, you might want to consider this: up to 30 percent of her followers could be fake.

The “fake followers” epidemic has been a problem on Twitter for some time, but it’s only in the past few weeks that it’s reached epic proportions.

This infographic from Social Selling University below explores the famous faces who are followed by fakers, and how this affects the network itself.

Anyone can buy Twitter followers these days, for as little as $18 for 1000, and there are at least 11,283 Twitter users that have purchased more than 72,000 followers.

The infographic traces the path of fakers on Twitter from the very first (known) fake account in 2007 to today’s largest companies, celebrities and politicians.

For instance, Lady Gaga is followed by 34 percent fake accounts, Barack Obama by 29 percent, and Twitter itself has 37 fakers. So, really, you’re not all that far off from these massive Twitter-lebrities, who typically have 1/3 fewer real followers than their total count.

Take a look at the infographic below for more on the state of fake followers on Twitter (click to enlarge):

(Infographic courtesy of Social Selling University; Shopping cart and chicken image via Shutterstock)