If you have ever come across a page on Instagram that boasts a massive following but has nothing substantial to offer, then chances are that the account is fake.
Yes, no need to get disheartened about your humble following, and don’t let the fake following dissuade you from your mission towards creating a space on social media that’s sustainable and ethical. You are doing a great job!
However, it’s always wise to be wary of a fake Instagram account.
Most people make fake accounts to scam people or to impersonate others. There are also countless fake accounts available for sale, it has become a business where people buy those accounts to improve their following.
Some fake accounts are more sinister as their aim is to trick people into paying for a product that doesn’t exist.
Whatever the reason may be, it is important to know how to spot them, you may even have some as your followers. There’s nothing you can do to stop that, even with an effective strategy in place, fake accounts will still somehow become a part of your follower list.
Although too many of them can be a problem, since fake accounts aren’t real people, they will bring your engagement rate down. And as a sustainability influencer you cannot afford that, as fake accounts will not work in your favour.
The best thing is to learn how to spot and root them out, it isn’t difficult to spot the difference between a real and fake Instagram account. Here are some of the ways you can spot a fake account
Look closely at the bio
Real accounts take time and energy to come up with a creative Instagram bio, however fake accounts will not be bothered by how their Instagram bios look to others. Therefore, their bios will appear casual and fabricated.
No regular posts
Some accounts that lack any meaningful post or barely any pictures at all on their feed are most probably a fake account.
While it’s true that not everyone is regular on Instagram, but a particular fake account stands out and appears strange in comparison, as their main aim is to follow other accounts not to post content.
Some influencers buy these fake accounts to show considerable following in order to secure paid campaigns.
An account with an odd amount of give away or free gifts is also suspicious, as these fraudulent accounts aim to rip-off unaware users.
Random followers
Look at the pictures and the comments underneath it, if there are no genuine people commenting on the pictures then there is a chance the account is not real. Usually with a loyal following there are authentic comments underneath each post however if there is no one consistently commenting on new posts, then it is surely suspicious.
Following more accounts than followers
Fake accounts are random and focus on following other accounts, that’s why they will have higher number of accounts they are following than the followers on their Instagram page. Real people with real accounts usually have considerably less following compared to their followers so this is a good way to determine whether the accounts are fake or real.
The account has been made recently
Fake accounts do not have a long lifespan, as most of them are created recently and haven’t been around for several years. They are usually created with haste and in bulks.
Check how old the account is to be sure of its authenticity, even if it has a lot of posts on its feed. Fake accounts post a lot of pictures and videos to appear real, but all these pictures are from a recent time.
Comments are unrelated
If the comment section looks like it has been spammed by unnecessary and irrelevant comments, then odds are that the account is fake.
This behaviour is a good indicator of a fake profile, and you must immediately be aware of such profile.
If you have a public page, it is at risk of shutting down if a fake account tries to impersonate you or spams your profile with excessive and unwarranted comments.
For all the reasons mentioned above, it is good to routinely go through your profile and look out for spam comments, messages and fake followers.
For all the reasons mentioned above, it is good to routinely go through your profile and look out for spam comments, messages and fake followers.
Fake accounts can be hard to spot, but there are ways to help reduce the most obvious ones quickly. Once you spot one, get rid of them by blocking fake bots.
Some fake accounts want your page and your followers so it’s a good idea to keep a sharp eye on the activity and engagement on your profile.
