BBB tips for spotting a fake social media account

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo (KBSI) – Being protected on the internet is important and Better Business Bureau regional director Whitney Quick says keeping your social media clean and restricted from fake accounts is a growing need. 

“In these situations, is somebody will add someone that they don’t know and then that person then can access all of your information that you have shared on your Facebook account,” said Quick. 

These fake social media accounts scams are not just targeting older people but people in their early 20s.  

Quick says a lot of these fake accounts are seen in reviews.  

 “All scams and a lot of this is contributed to fake accounts fake reviews phony reviews things like that,” said Quick. 

According to the BBB, some tips to spot a fake social media account are:  

Look closely at the content – Scammers and spreaders of false information often fill their feeds with stock images, memes or other recycled images that are not original. 

Analyze account transparency. If an account profile is generic phrases, quotes, or introductions. 

Be wary of scams.  – Fake social media accounts are also a favorite tool of scammers 

And Quick says to also look for fake followers on the social media accounts’ friend lists.  

 “Even real accounts inevitably gather a few fake followers but if the bulk of the engagement looks fake steer clear from this another thing to look for is to examine the follower-to-engagement ratio accounts can also buy followers so one telltale sign of a fake account is thousands of followers with little to no engagement,” said Quick. 

For more information on how to spot a fake account visit BBB.org