Facebook: This shows you a fake profile

You can read how to recognize fake profiles on Facebook in this practical tip.

Check the status updates of the Facebook profile

First, you should check how often the suspicious profile posts. Many fake profiles have never made a status update.

Mostly female names with a fake profile

A study showed that 97 percent of the fake profiles have a woman's name. So be careful what female friends you are granting a friend request to. But even with male profiles, you should pay attention to abnormalities.

Where does the person come from the profile?

Check where the person comes from. For example, you should refuse a friend request from Mai Ling from China (if you are not Chinese or do not know the woman).

Pay attention to the number of Facebook friends

The result of a study found that fake profiles have a large number of friends on average, while the number of real accounts is significantly lower. So be careful if the number of friends is too high.

Be careful when inquiring with an attractive photo

Many fake profiles are provided with photos of famous, pretty women or men to attract users. Private photos are rare, but be careful even then. You can recognize trustworthy prominent Facebook profiles by the blue tick (see picture).

Little personal information in a fake profile

Personal data is usually scarce with fake profiles, because the authors usually do not find the time to authentically fill in these areas. They only serve the purpose of spreading spam and defective links.

You can read how to block people on Facebook in this practical tip.