Millions of people use social media platforms to share feelings and opinions, promote businesses, and more. However, today, social media pollution has become a significant problem. The creation of fake profiles causes social media pollution. These fake accounts spam legitimate users by posting illegal and inappropriate content. As well as some people use face profiles to,
- Harass people online
- Impersonate people
- Spread false information
- Destroy people’s reputation
- Leave false complaints or reviews about services
These fake social media accounts are known as sock puppet accounts or imposter accounts. Now let’s see how to find a fake social media account.
How to spot a fake social media account?
The scammers create fake social media accounts harder to trace. There are few signs available to identify the fake social media accounts. They are,
The profile picture and account name
Scammers don’t use real photos for their profile. They usually use symbols, and avatars as their profile images. Likewise, when they use human images for profiles, they use low-resolution images. You can use Google Image Search to check if the image is linked to another account or has appeared elsewhere on the internet. Scammers make fake accounts under the names of public figures or celebrities. When you find a fake account, carefully check the contents that they have posted.
Also, they never use their real name as an account name. They change their usernames after signing up on the platform.
Connection
That means several followers, friends, and subscribers help you to identify whether the account is fake or real. When you find a massive discrepancy in a person’s follower count across different platforms, there is a good chance that the lower number is fake.
Content
Scammers spread false information and extreme views. Their feeds are usually filled with memes, stock photos, and recycled images. Also, you can’t find any published posts on fake accounts. Likewise, you can check the comments the account leaves on the other’s posts.
Verification symbol
If you have a friend request from an account of a celebrity or public figure, please check the verification indicator mark. Accounts without verification indicators might belong to scammers.
What should you do when you find a fake account or page?
If you find any fake social media accounts or pages, you can report them. First of all, check if you are following it. If you follow an imposter account, immediately unfollow it and remove it from your friend list. Then, block the fake account to restrict its access to your information.
As well as social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram allow you to report such fake profiles. How do you report a fake profile on Facebook?
- Go to the face profile or the page, and click the button with the three dots at the bottom of the cover photo.
- Tap Find Support or Report if the fake account is for an individual.
- If the fake account is for the Facebook page, click Report Page.
Conclusion
Here, we have provided some tips to find a fake social media account. Hence, keep in mind those tips to be safe from scammers.
