The amount of fake profiles on the internet, although it is a practice that goes against the rules of social networks, is something that plagues several popular platforms.
With that in mind, check out some tips below that can help you identify a fake account, whether on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok or even WhatsApp – the latter is one of the scammers’ favorites to make new victims.
At the outset, keep in mind that fake profiles are often created for different purposes, the main ones being: to try to apply scams, spread the famous 'fake news' and even share content that is normally prohibited by platforms.
Not to mention publications that do everything to get your click, attractive titles or promises that in the end also seek to take your money.
Are you suspicious of the authenticity of a profile? Play on Google
One way to try to identify whether an account is actually that person or company, type or paste the profile name on Google. In this way, the search will return if there are more similar accounts and even profiles that use the same name on other social networks.
If the account in question belongs to an acquaintance, increase the search with other data, such as age, part of the address and even the city where the person resides.
Now, if a profile doesn't have a name and image, which usually already helps to identify the owner of the account, be suspicious. Often a fake profile is already identified that way.
If the idea is to certify the veracity of the profile of a company or a well-known person, the verification seal, that symbol that is right next to the name of the profile, is perhaps the best indication that it is an authentic account.
Otherwise, it may be someone trying to impersonate a celebrity, for example, which is also often the case on the internet.
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Profile without photo is a warning sign
As we mentioned before, a profile without a photo or in the case of Instagram, for example, without posts that identify the possible owner of the account, is an indication that it may be a fake account.
If the account has at least one photo, another resource that works is to use the Google search engine to search for similar images.
The process is very simple and can be done through the browser. In Chrome, click the right mouse button on the image and then access the option 'Search image or lens'.
The tool shows in a bar on the right side several pages where the same image (or similar photos) have already been used.
Account with no posts or similar posts
If the lack of information is a sign of a fake profile, the excess of posts, especially those that are very similar, is also a sign that should not be ignored.
As we exemplified before, an Instagram account without photos, a platform that emerged precisely for sharing images, does not make much sense.
more tips
In the end, depending on the social network, some fake profile signs are more specific. At the Facebook, for example, fake accounts often take advantage of the platform's algorithm and automated posts to attract followers.
In fake profiles, even the interaction with contacts is usually more generic than usual, the same people coming in and always using the same phrases.
A rule that applies to all social networks is to be aware of accounts that have few followers, without publications and that follow thousands of people.
On Twitter, for example, it's a problem that some accounts use bots. The social network even uses a robot icon to identify these automatic posting profiles. In this case, it is easier to differentiate a fake account from one that uses a bot.
Now at TikTok, the wave of the moment is to use 'deepfake', which are videos that use artificial intelligence to create false content, usually humorous. A tip to identify content that takes advantage of the resource is to pay attention to facial expressions, which usually indicate that the content is not real.
Still, experts warn that this technology can even be used to apply fraud or impersonate another person, since, as it evolves, it is becoming more and more real.
Finally, in the WhatsApp, it is important to be careful when being contacted by contacts without a photo and who send suspicious links. One of the most recent scams is fake job offers, which are fired to thousands of numbers registered in the messaging application.
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