Cyberstalked: Here's How You Can Identify A Fake Social Media Account

Over the years, there has been a rise in the number of social media users, and along with that, there has also been a spike in fake accounts on different social media platforms. The intention of the impostors behind creating fake social media accounts can differ but you and your information posted online are at constant risk if you are a target.

What Is A Fake Social Media Account?

A fake social media account will imitate your social handle. The scammer might use the same profile picture, same images, captions, or product descriptions.

Why Is A Fake Social Media Account Created?

There are different reasons why an impostor might imitate your social media profile. Sometimes, these accounts are created to scam followers. Here, usually, popular brands and organisations having many followers are at risk. Some also do it to spread misinformation.

How To Identify A Fake Social Media Account?

To keep yourself and your information safe online, it is important to learn to identify fake social media accounts and report them immediately. We spoke to Cyber Security Expert, Shubham Ajit Singh and asked him to share a quick guide to identify fake accounts and report them.

Do a Reverse Image Search

An easy way to find out if the account is fake is by running the profile picture through search engines like Google Image Search to see if the image is linked to another account or if the same picture is uploaded on a different online platform.

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Check The Profile URL

If you come across a profile that has a similar username as yours or someone else you know, monitor the account activity closely.

Keep A Check On The Content Posted

Do a deep analysis of the content posted on such accounts. Click on their followers and see if they have bot followers. If people following them are from different countries and have zero posts online, they are bots.

Check Their Other Social Handles

If you suspect an account to be fake, check if the user is available on different social media platforms and if has posted similar content.

How To Report a Fake Social Media Account?

To report an impostor on Facebook, click on - https://m.facebook.com/help/contact/295309487309948

Instagram too has a form to file a complaint against a fake account - https://help.instagram.com/contact/636276399721841

To complain on Twitter, click on https://help.twitter.com/en/forms/authenticity/impersonation

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How To Keep Yourself Safe?

The expert further shared some tips to keep your account safe -

• Keep your social media accounts private.
• Don’t put any sensitive information on your profile.
• Only accept friends or follow requests from people you know.
• If you received a friend (or follow) request from someone you have already connected with, reach out to them directly to confirm that it’s them that sent the request.
• Always share your official profiles across all of your social platforms and channels.