From bots to trolls: A guide to the world of fake social media profiles

Have you been added as a friend by Brad Pitt with 50 followers? Or has a “successful crypto investor” viewed all your stories? Congratulations, you have become the target of a fake account. Who is behind these profiles, what is their purpose, and what real danger do they pose? The answers are in our research.

There are several types of fake accounts.

  • Bots. These are lifeless creatures that are created and controlled automatically. With their help, some people wind up their views, clicks or the number of subscribers. Such things on the Internet are done in a couple of minutes and literally for a song.
  • Spam-accounts. They are created to promote some services (marathons, giveaways, sweepstakes, services for boosting likes and subscriptions).
  • Fake business profile accounts. As a rule, these accounts are real people and, most often, scammers. Under the guise of a well-known company, they may try to sell you something — most likely a counterfeit of dubious quality — or even deprive you of money by offering to make a 100% prepayment.
  • Fake accounts of real people. In any social network, you can find thousands of pages of famous people — of course, fake ones. Such accounts can be created for different purposes: to bask in the rays of someone else’s fame, and to cash in on this fame, and just for fun, and sometimes to ruin the star’s reputation.
  • Troll accounts. They are created to leave intentionally inflammatory, rude or upsetting comments online. They only want one thing — to provoke people to emotion. As a rule, naturally, negative.
  • Real people who, for various reasons, wish to remain anonymous.

    Why are fake accounts dangerous?

  • Spam (junk mail)

Mass mailing of advertising is popular at all times – even a tiny percentage of positive responses from the total number of recipients brings enough results to cover the costs of organizing the mailing and bring in profit.

It is important to remember that advertising is also sent by attackers. For example, in May 2023, an entire network of bots was identified on social network X, consisting of 1,140 fake accounts that constantly published posts with phishing links, disguising them as news about cryptocurrencies.

  • Insulting other users in discussions

The feeling of anonymity in the digital space often encourages permissiveness, as a person loses the fear of being publicly held accountable for their words.

In 2022, a 28-year-old British woman created a fake TikTok account called “Professional Avenger” where she posted videos with false allegations of violence against her ex-partner, using screenshots of his pages and voiceovers. She specifically added his girlfriends as friends so that they could see these videos. The man reported that he began receiving threats and was even attacked on the street by strangers who saw the videos, after which he sued the girl, who was found to have committed an offense.

  • Deception and fraud

Fake accounts are created for various types of fraud: online earnings, investing in dubious schemes (pyramids), and so on. In addition, your personal data, including banking data, can also be stolen during communication with such a page. It is also important to remember that people hiding behind fake accounts, including on dating sites, can correspond for months with unsuspecting victims for the sake of big profit. There are many stories of gullible women who met a man online, for example, from another country. He confesses his sympathy and promises to come soon with the most serious intentions. However, then the gentleman suddenly experiences temporary financial difficulties (usually “due to a misunderstanding”) — women get into debt and transfer money to the suitor. After this, the hero-lover disappears somewhere.

  • Threats and blackmail

Perhaps famous actresses, models and singers suffer from this more than others, however, no one is immune.

Nigerian crime group «Yahoo Boys»  actively created fake accounts on social networks, posing as peers of the victims. They gained the trust of teenagers from the US and UK, lured them into giving them intimate photos, and then blackmailed them, demanding payment in cryptocurrency.

  • Damaging the reputation of those whose accounts are faked.

Attackers can, on behalf of a certain person, spread false information, publish offensive and ridiculing materials in order to damage the image of this person.

In January 2025, scammers created a fake account of basketball legend Michael Jordan on the X platform to promote a dubious token. Advanced social network users immediately noted that Jordan himself is known for not liking social networks and does not have official accounts. Using the international fame and authority of celebrities is a favorite technique of scammers, designed to attract a gullible audience. Such actions deal a double blow: victims lose money, and the celebrities themselves suffer reputational losses, being unwittingly associated with scams.

  • Surveillance

To remain unnoticed, users create fake pages to view other people’s profiles. This helps bypass the feature that shows the account owner all of their guests.

Bots, trolls, scammers — they all disguise themselves as real people, pursuing their own selfish goals. Their weapons are our gullibility and curiosity. Understanding how they work and knowing simple rules of digital hygiene is a critical skill that will protect not only your wallet, but also your mental health. Be skeptical, stay safe, and learn how to verify information with GFCN.