Spotting fake profiles on social media

It's almost impossible to imagine our social lives without social networks, right? However, while surfing the net, you need to be careful and know how to identify fake profiles, generic accounts created or cloned by malicious people to hide behind anonymity or someone else's identity. What's more, fake accounts can look very similar to official and verified accounts, even using the logos of companies or brands.

As such, fake profiles can be used to manipulate public opinion, attack profiles anonymously, or even commit fraud. 

Now that you’re aware, let's explore practical ways to identify fake profiles on social networks.

Profile photos

Fake profiles often use generic images taken from the Internet or image banks. Do a reverse search of the photo, using online tools to check if it appears in other contexts. If the image is found in several places, it may indicate fraud.

Number of profile followers 

If a profile has a very low number of followers and follows an extremely high number of accounts, it’s likely a fake profile. On the other hand, profiles with a high number of followers with no apparent explanation may also be fake. 

Profile activity 

Check the date the profile was created, along with interactions with other accounts, evaluating the number of posts and comments. Bear in mind that fake profiles often share generic or repetitive content.

Inconsistent profile information

Check that the information provided, like location, employment, and educational history, makes sense and is consistent. Fake profiles often leave gaps or provide vague details to avoid being easily identified.

Quality of profile content

Analyzing the quality of the content can reveal a lot about a profile’s authenticity since fake profiles often use generic, unnatural-sounding language and contain frequent grammatical errors. It's also important to keep an eye on the content published, as it can be misleading and contain fake links.

What are the risks associated with fake profiles?

Fake profiles on social networks can harm users in several ways, such as: 

Catfishing: a scam where cybercriminals use photos of third parties to create fake profiles on social networks or dating sites to find victims. They then attempt to establish close ties to gain their victim’s trust. The criminal is then able to extort the victim financially or steal their confidential information.

Psychological and emotional damage: fake profiles are often used to attack, expose, and persecute a specific person, whether they are public figures or not. Also, people who have had their accounts, images, and information stolen and used for scams committed in their name may also be victims of harassment due to crimes they didn't commit.

Spreading fake news: this involves using fake profiles to go viral or spread false information to manipulate public opinion. This information can also be used to lure victims into clicking on a link and installing a virus on their device. 

Embezzlement: criminals use fake profiles to pretend to be salespeople, making false advertisements to sell products that don't exist.

How to report fake profiles

If you suspect that a profile is fake, click on the account, find the "report" icon, indicate that it is a fake profile, and click "report". This way, you'll protect your personal data from attacks by cybercriminals and you'll be able to enjoy social networks with much more security and peace of mind!