How to spot a fake social media account (part one)
Have you ever interacted with a bot or troll on social media?
There are several things that many people look out for when interacting with social media. They engage with brands, influencers, and all sorts of content that appeals to them.
But even those social media users with the most experienced eyes can be duped into interacting with a fake account. There are accounts that are created with malicious intent. They can be well masked and that's why it's important to be aware.
"According to one Twitter staffer, however, each week the platform challenges between 8,5 and 10 million bots, with two-thirds of malicious accounts automatically removed. Facebook estimates that 5% of its worldwide monthly users are fakes. The social network deleted some 1.7 billion fraudulent accounts in the second quarter of 2021 alone." (MSN)
With the ease of access that is available to everyone in creating a social media account, it may be scary, but it's also comforting (to some extent) to know that these platforms are equipping themselves with ways to identify fake and malicious accounts.
One thing that you can do to identify a fake account, is to pay attention to the account name and the profile URL.
"Often, fraudsters will retroactively change their Twitter or Facebook usernames after registering on the platform. In this case, the original Twitter account name — preceded by the @ symbol — will provide a clue that something could be wrong. Likewise, a divergent Facebook URL should make you suspicious." (MSN)
If you want to verify a brand or celebrity account, these are generally verified accounts, which have a blue tick next to their names. However, this has been incorrect in the past.
Another tell is profile pictures. Look out for low resolution images, which are an indicator that the image is copied off the internet. Also watch out for images that have been manipulated, nowadays everyone can alter an image and it can appear authentic.
Check their followers, subscribers, and friends list. There are many fake accounts that have many followers, not because they are authentic, but because there are social media users who were duped into believing their authenticity.
"Followerwonk is a helpful tool for analyzing follower figures on different networks. Another way to assess the authenticity of an account supposedly run by a famous person is to check if verified accounts interact with it." (MSN)
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The last tip is to monitor the account's online behaviour and the content being posted. Most authentic accounts interact on their posts or post imagery that can be seen as being legitimate.
If this is a fake account, you will find a missing link, something will be off on their page. Follow your instincts. Most of all, do not engage if you are uncertain, because with the rise in cyber crime, it is not in your best interests.
Image Courtesy of Unsplash Website