How to Identify Fake Facebook Accounts

Honestly, I will tell you that Facebook is full of fake accounts and you could be a victim of digital insecurity. As at 2012, Facebook revealed that fake or Bogus Facebook accounts were between 5 to 6 per cent of all accounts, This put the fakes between 40 to 50 million.

This is a high risk.

The accounts on facebook are some- times operated by both human and software accounts. This is not the making of facebook itself as they keep patching and bringing the best security on facebook

You have to understand that there are two types of Fake Accounts. You have Human and Software generated Ac- counts. The software account is a bot operated remotely Via software while the human account is actually a sock puppet account. Sock puppet account is a false account operated by humanbeing pretending to be someone or something they are not.

1. Bots Accounts can easily be identified as they do not act like humans on facebook. However, sock puppet account sometimes acts like humans but sometimes act more like stupid human beings. You need to watch out closely for this.

The following are signs and tips you can use to identify that someone who sent you a friend request is not really humans or not what he claimed to be. Make sure you watch out clearly for these signs

1. Old layouts. Check out the Facebook account and wall to make sure it is not displaying the old Facebook timeline. It is likely to be a bot. Majority of the fakes uses the old pIe-Timeline layout.

1 7. Hot Babe or Chick. Truth is that there are bots and real accounts with hot babes. But majority of fake account comes with beautiful and hot babes. Most obsessed males are interested in clicking on photos of hot babes. This is where the bots also take advantage.

1. The high life made guys. You have seen those photos with beautiful lifestyle, heavy jewellery and all sorts of make-belief success life with photos. Be careful ladies. You are likely to fall as spoiled ladies are interested in already made guys. These have led to some people being killed. Check those contacts again
2. Few Photo Uploads: Bots or some other fake accounts operated by humans will normally have few photos and occasionally add other people’s photos to make you believe that it is a real person.

2 0. Odd biographies. Some fake account and bots uses very odd or incomplete biography. You need to check people’s biography before you add them as friends.

1. No message reply:

These are accounts typically not operated and so they do not respond to messages.

2 2. But for human-operated account that is fake, there will be responsible and some will even want to chat with you.

2 3. No Response in Return: Most Bot operated fake accounts will never respond to greetings from new friends.

1. These bot accounts could like many products and pages up to a thousand per day making you believe the products are in high demand or popular. This is a trick as they use all other bots to do this.
2. One of their intention of also adding you as a friend is to steal your information or spread malware on your phones or computer, some could be for phishing purpose or to steal your data and information. Be careful.
3. When you notice any of these accounts, ignore them and move on. You can also block them or report them to Facebook.

1. Be careful of what pages you like or forms you are asked to fill on facebook as the link could lead you to a phishing scam that could be intended to take your personal information and identity.
2. Why are you really

on facebook? You need to define why you are on facebook, Different people have different motives for being on Facebook. Some social, others for friendship, some for business and others for bad motives. You need to ask yourself what you want to achieve.

1. Cut down what you show on your profile: Do you know that sometimes, you signup for some applications and they end up eating your Internet data? You must have been wondering why your data finished quickly. Cutting down what you upload and applications you signup with will also put back that hole you will leave on

your pocket monthly. 30. Who do you add as friends? Most people are interested in the number of friends they have on facebook, It is not important. Having 5000 friends with 4500 fake is not going to do you good. Have real friends on your facebook. It is wrong to just add people you do not know. It poses some risk too.

3 1. You need to check your settings: You need to make some items private and accessible to some of your friends. Your phone number and email should not be public. It is worth spending time looking at your settings to limit your public profile information. You may also be able to restrict some specific friends from accessing some of your information. Identity thieves, sniffers could be looking for this information

3 2. Password: It is advisable that you do not use the same password for your emails and other accounts for Facebook and you also need to be mindful of where you sign in to your account. Some computers have keyloggers that could steal your password in public places.And do not give anyone your passwords

1. Mind what you post on your wall: Never disclose personal issues and events on your posts. Do not tell people your travel plans, or that you will be alone at home this weekend or that you will be going to another state next week Friday.
2. Phishing scams must be avoided at all cost: There are attempts to get you to click links on your emails in order to steal your user name and passwords. Never fall for this. Do not click on links asking you to click to reset your password. From facebook if you have not requested. It is better to go directly to facebook site and you will be notified by facebook if there is a problem.

3 5. Protect your mobile device. Be mindful about who might have access to your mobile phone. Someone trying to track or monitor you might install spy monitoring apps to track and tap into your call conversations.