With people spending more time online during the enhanced community quarantine, it's not surprising that an increase in fake accounts, fake pages, and fake news has been circulating on social media as well. While memes and satire are fairly easy to spot, some people take the extra work to make a fake page or post seem genuine.
To avoid sharing and being a victim of fake news and online scams, here are 5 ways to spot a fake social media page or post:
1. No verification badge
Your first clue that a page is not legitimate is if the page has no "✔" verification badge despite being a supposed known brand or company. If a page claiming to be a known brand doesn’t have this badge, it’s most likely a fake account.
Reminder: The official Coins.ph social page has a blue “verified” check mark beside the account name
2. Low on content, photos, posts, and engagement
Most private accounts and company pages should have content, photos, and organic engagement visible in their pages. If you encounter a supposed company page that has just one or two posts, maybe a single brand or public figure photo, or virtually no engagement in their posts, this page may be a fake or at the very least or suspicious.
3. The page or account is new
If you see a newly-created page that claims to be a certain brand or company, but that brand has been in the business for years, it can be assumed that that page is not legitimate.
4. Spam posts
If a page consistently posts links to low-quality websites, chances are it’s a fake or scam page. Check both the page and the website links for any odd patterns. Are there too many ads on each page? Are there too many grammatical errors? Do all the page posts constantly entice you to buy an item or service through the links? Do these pages tag multiple users that they have won some kind of contest? If the posts are all spammy, the page probably is too.
5. Too good to be true offers
“If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.”
While it's possible to get lucky on the Internet sometimes, any get-rich-quick scheme, high-yield investment opportunities, and celebrity or public figure branded charities found on social media platforms should probably be avoided and considered fake. Or, at least, should merit further research. Make sure you do your due diligence especially before transferring money.
6. Similar comments from different accounts
If you find a social media page with comments that are copy-pasted or seem too similar to each other despite being from different accounts, it’s probably a fake page. Or, at the very least, it’s a page that buys likes and followers. It isn’t wise to trust content from a page that engages in shady practices like buying followers and engagement.
What to do if I see a fake Coins.ph page?
If you receive anything suspicious or encounter fake Coins.ph pages, please inform us immediately by sending us an email at help@coins.ph or by tapping Send us a Message in your app. We will be happy to assist you.
