Fake Accounts and Scams
Goals of scammers who create fake accounts:
- Impersonation of individuals.
- Scamming followers for money under false pretenses.
- Online harassment.
- Spreading misinformation and disinformation.
- Posting deceptive reviews or complaints about brands.
- Intentionally damaging someone’s reputation.
Classic red flags:
- Pixelated profile picture.
- Very suspicious name (e.g. famous celebrity) and generic profile URL (e.g. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083227784922 – numbers and no name).
- No verification check on account claiming to be owned by a famous person.
- Dodgy account info (e.g. female name with male gender).
- Low number of friends or followers. If it’s very low, it’s likely fake.
- Fake profiles frequently post misinformation and disinformation, featuring content such as memes, stock photos, and reused images. No published posts is also often indicative of a fake account.
You can report scams using the ScamWatch Report a scam form.
Source: https://www.boscolegal.org/blog/tracking-down-fake-accounts/.