How to Report a Fake Facebook Account

A fake Facebook account is one that is pretending to be someone who doesn’t exist – for example, a fake or made-up person, a celebrity or a fake organisation.

It is important to note, before we go any further, that a fake Facebook account is not the same as an account that’s impersonating someone else. Both accounts need to be reported and investigated by Facebook moderators – however, a fake Facebook account is one that represents someone who doesn’t exist.

Fake accounts are often connected with scams, which is why reporting them is so important. You will often see headlines and news stories about users who have been scammed into handing money or details over to a social account that they thought was linked with a favoured celebrity or worthy cause, only to find that their personal details are stolen.

With that in mind, here’s how to report a fake account.

3 Steps to Report a Fake Account

1. Navigate to the profile page of the account that you think is fake, and tap the button with three dots just underneath the cover photo
2. Select ‘Report Profile’
3. Select ‘Something About This Profile’ and then fill in any details you can about why you think this is a fake account

Once you gave submitted the report and flagged the profile / account, it will be investigated and may be either frozen or deleted depending on the outcome.

How to Spot a Fake Facebook Account

Now that you know how to report a fake account, it’s worth covering and talking about some of the hallmarks and indicators of a fake account.

This is a topic that’s covered by countless online security companies and blogs, as the issue of fake accounts and impersonations continues to rise – with the following all tips on how to spot a fake account as shared by these reputable security firms…

• Does the profile picture look real, or does it look like a model image that is being used to entice you to trust the profile?
• Does the account appear to be brand new with very few friends?
• Is there a lack of personal bio and information connected with the account?
• Does the username match or correspond with the profile name? If not, this can be a sign of a bot account
• If the profile has no activity on their Facebook wall, then this is a sign that it has been created by a bot and is a fake account

If you’re not sure whether an account is real or has been created by an AI bot, a great test is to send a direct message to the account via Messenger. Bots cannot send or respond to messages – so if you find your message goes unanswered, you can be fairly confident that you are dealing with a fake account.

Knowing all of this and arming yourself with some of the common indicators of a fake account, is a good way to keep yourself safe and prevent yourself from engaging and interacting with potential scams.

We hope this helps. Don’t forget to send this article and share the advice with your friends and loved ones too!