How to trace a fake Facebook Account in 2022?

We all know that Facebook has been around for more than a decade now and you will find people of all ages on the platform.

While it is certainly true that Gen-Z is not really interested in signing up for Facebook anymore, the people who are on it are definitely using it.

One common problem with Facebook is that there are a lot of fake accounts on the platform.

The reason behind this is Facebook’s inability to verify the information that someone uploads while creating an account.

For example, if you want to create a fake account named after Mark Zuckerberg today then you can do so with ease.

The only difference between your fake account and the real Mark Zuckerberg account will be the blue tick he has.

However, it is often seen that gullible people will not know the difference between these two accounts and believe everything that the fake account posts.

For that reason, we are here to tell you how to trace a fake Facebook account in 2022 so that you don’t get scammed by one.

How to trace a Fake Facebook Account in 2022?

In order to first identify a fake Facebook account when you are visiting someone’s profile, you have to check a few things as mentioned below:

1. Check their Profile Picture

First of all, go and check the profile picture of the Facebook profile you suspect is a fake one.

The biggest sign of a fake Facebook account is that they either have no profile picture on their profile meaning it will be blank.

Apart from that, they could have a profile picture that is not theirs meaning it could be a famous celebrity or someone else but not their real photo.

If you find out that a profile does not have a real photo or has no photo added to its display picture, analyze further to find out if it is a fake profile or not.

2. Check their Profile Name

If you come across a Facebook Profile and they are using a fake name on their account then it is a clear sign that they have made a fake account.

For example, if you come across a profile that says Mark Zuckerberg is their name then it is possible that they have that name.

But if they are also using the Meta CEO’s profile picture then it is a clear sign that their account is fake.

3. Reverse Google Image Search

After looking at the profile’s display picture and the name they have used, you can do a reverse google image search to see if the picture they have used is unique or not.

For that, you just need to download the profile picture from their profile and then go to images.google.com.

From here, upload the photo that you have saved and Google will give you results and tell you if they can find the same image on the web or not.

If you don’t see similar results to the image you have uploaded then the image is a unique one and it means that the profile is a real one.

But if there are matches found of the same image then it means others have also used this same image and this is a sign of a fake Facebook account.

4. Using Someone else’s name or photos

If you see someone’s profile and suspect that it might be a fake one, do a Google Search about their name and see what results come up.

If there are different profiles of the same person then it is possible that someone is stealing their information and have created a fake Facebook profile using their identity.

For example, we have found a fake Facebook profile posted inside a group on Facebook where the person is using a picture of someone else which was found using Google Image Search.

Most of the time, the images that these fake accounts use belong to someone else who is already been in the news which means that the picture can be easily found using a reverse image search.

5. Check their Personal Information

Now that you have checked all the above-mentioned information, one thing you can do is also check the personal information they have mentioned in their About section on Facebook.

If you find out that the information they have added is definitely fake such as “CEO at Facebook” or “CEO at Pepsi” or something random then you can definitely identify a fake profile from there as well.

Also, see the number of friends they have on their profile and also the account creation date.

If the account is relatively new or they have very less friends then the account could be a fake one.

Can you trace a fake Facebook account’s owner?

Now that you have identified a fake Facebook account or you have been scammed by someone on Facebook, you would want to trace the owner of that account.

This could be done using the IP Address of the fake Facebook account which reveals the exact location from where it is being operated.

However, Facebook will not tell you the IP Address of any Facebook account due to privacy and security reasons.

For that, you have to take the help of law enforcement agencies who will be able to get the IP Address of that account from Facebook and catch the scammer.

Conclusion

In this article, we have mentioned how you can trace a fake Facebook account by analyzing the details in their profile.

It is worth noting that while you can’t know the exact location from where a Facebook account is being operated, the police definitely can.

So if you have been scammed by a fake Facebook profile then you can file a police complaint and they will get hold of the account owner.

Share this article with your friends and family to tell them about how to trace a fake Facebook account.