5 Ways to Identify a Fake Facebook Profile

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Did you know that it is estimated that more than 10% of Facebook’s accounts are fake?

Facebook has obviously gone about trying different strategies to identify fake profiles, but it shouldn’t just be a concern for them, it should be a concern for you as a Facebook user too!

If you study a Facebook profile carefully enough, you’ll be able to see whether it is fake or genuine.


Here are 5 ways to identify fake Facebook profiles:

#1 Profile Picture

The first thing you notice about a Facebook profile is their profile picture, you should be wary if their picture is…
- Just a single profile picture with no other images.
- Profile pictures of celebrities
- There is no profile picture
- The profile picture is a stock photo or photo of a model

#2 About Section

Genuine Facebook users will fill in all their information and accomplishments in detail such as their high school, current employment, relationship status, etc. A fake Facebook profile will usually have little to nothing on their About section.

#3 Friends

Take a look at their friends' list; do you see a lot of recent friends as well as foreign friends? If so it is probably a fake Facebook profile as a genuine person would prefer to connect with local friends not just random foreign users.

#4 URL

A lot of fake Facebook profiles will have a completely different name in their URL when you visit their profile then compared to the name on their profile. So either it is someone’s profile that has been hacked or it is a fake Facebook profile.

#5 Timeline

When you read their timeline posts is it full of links from the same website as well as promotional ads? This is a clear sign that the Facebook profile is fake. A genuine Facebook user will post a range of different things including photos, jokes, videos, etc.

Facebook is full of fake accounts created for spamming, tagging people in ads, tricking you into giving them money, etc. Know how to identify a fake Facebook account to avoid becoming a possible victim!

Have you been duped by a fake Facebook account or user? Please contact OSINT immediately on 021 110 0422 or email contact@osint.co.za or visit www.osint.co.za to learn more!

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