Social networks are widely used worldwide, that is why some malicious people take advantage of their ease of access to create false profiles in order to do harm; But how do you know if an account is fake? This tutorial will give you some tips on how to detect fake profiles on social networks?
What are fake profiles used for?
Fake profiles are created by malicious people or bots (computer programs that imitate human behavior on the Internet) with the intention of harming other users. These fake profiles are very dangerous because they are designed to:
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Steal personal information, this attack is known as Phishing.
- Damage the reputation of a person or company; It even serves to cyberbullying or cyberbullying or extort money.
- Impersonate identities.
- Commit crimes in the name of a fake user.
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Spread malware or spy on users.
- Send Spam.
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Attracting children and adolescents with the intention of abusing them psychologically, sexually or promoting child pornography. That is why it is important to improve the security of adolescents in social networks and of children as well.
- Post fake news to alarm people.
- Use fraudulent links.
If you come across a fake profile on social networks, report it immediately; All social networks have the service of reporting these profiles, so you will prevent other users from being victims of the dangers and privacy errors in social networks and of unscrupulous people who use these networks to do harm.
How to detect fake profiles on social networks?
- These profiles are usually based on a specific theme, which is attractive to users; such as sports, politics, sex, decoration, religion, health, among others; They also include striking and attractive images.
- You don’t have mutual friends with that profile, receiving an offline follow request with another user is usually very suspicious.
- The photos the account uses are a great indicator; For example, if you use unrealistic photos, don’t own any photos, or even use scantily clad photos, these factors indicate that the account may be fake.
- The profile contains very vague information about that user; however, there are cases where the false profile may contain unrealistic data, for example studied in excellent universities or jobs in large companies.
- The number of friends or followers is very important; Two things can happen in a false profile, that you have very few friends or that you have hundreds of friends but without profile photos and with names from other countries (Arabs, Russians, Chinese).
- Check if you have tagged photos, this is widely used on Facebook and Instagram.
- If you constantly talk to a person through WhatsApp, Skype or another similar network but you don’t know who he is or what he is like; ask him to send you a photo or make a video call, if he does not respond to any of these methods there is something suspicious.
- Look at the name of the account, sometimes these profiles have strange names combined with numbers at the end.
- Research the profile; for example, search Google images for the photos you have on your profile and search the browser for the name of the account; With this search you can find out if the photos you have in your account are taken from the internet or if other people have made comments on that profile.
- Check if he has sometimes posted messages, stories or statuses, even if a user is not very active on social networks it is normal that at some point he has posted something important in his life.
- If you follow artists, public institutions, brands, social movements or the media, make sure it is a verified account; you will know it because next to the username you will see a check or a medal, you must also pass the mouse or finger over the username to see the expression “Verified account”; If this expression does not appear, the account is false regardless of whether it has the check or the medal.
- Keep an eye on whether he interacts with other users or responds to their comments.
- Check the age of the account if it has been open for a short time (hours or days) it is a doubtful account.
In order not to be victims of false profiles, you have to use good judgment and common sense; do not accept in your social networks people you do not know in person. Do not click on suspicious links, do not give personal information through the networks; only you can prevent these false profiles and avoid the dangers that exist in social networks.
