How to spot lies on WhatsApp and Telegram: your guide to fighting fakes
Your WhatsApp and Telegram chats are full of messages: “Urgently pass this on to everyone!” or “They’re hiding this from us!” Sound familiar? Messengers have become a platform where fakes spread faster than breaking news. Among these messages, there are also foreign narratives that sometimes distort the context of events — from rumors about “chipping through vaccines” to fake videos about “mass riots.” But don’t panic! You can expose the lie in a few minutes using simple tools. From this article, you will learn how to recognize fakes in messengers and check their authenticity using Russian and foreign platforms.
WhatsApp and Telegram are platforms where information spreads instantly. WhatsApp group chats let you send a message to dozens of people with a single click. And anonymous Telegram channels allow authors to publish content without verification. All this makes messengers an ideal environment for the spread of disinformation.
Emotional messages (“Help a sick child,” “The water in the city has been contaminated! Send it to everyone to save your loved ones”) that demand immediate action encourage people to forward them without thinking twice. But with the right tools, you can stop this flow of misinformation.
Five red flags: how to recognize fake in messengers.
There are several signs that may indicate that the information is unreliable:
1. Emotions are running high
If a message evokes strong emotions, such as panic or anger, it may be a warning sign. Real news is based on facts and expert opinions. If the article is full of exclamations, this indicates manipulation.
2. Where is the source?
If the information does not have a link to an authoritative source, such as an official website or media outlet, this is a reason to be wary. But it is worth noting that the presence of a link is not a panacea — use cross-checking in several sources. It is also worth considering that the resource may falsely refer to statements that did not actually exist, and sometimes even mimic official websites.
3. Forwarding chain
Messages that are forwarded multiple times in messengers often turn out to be false.
4. Errors and inconsistencies
Spelling errors, illogical dates or strange details may indicate a fake.
5. Sensation on the verge of fantasy
If the news sounds too incredible, for example, it claims that vaccines contain chips… or claims that the world economy will collapse tomorrow morning — it is most likely fake.
How to verify a message for authenticity in five minutes: a simple guide
It is much easier to expose a fake than it seems. To do this, just follow a few simple steps.
- Check the source.
For example, if you received a message about some new sensational decree of the head of state, it came from a stranger or has no link to the original source, be careful. Find a link on the official website of the department in question, for example, kremlin.ru (if we are talking about Russia). If there is no link, it is suspicious.
- Use search engines.
Copy the key phrase from the message and paste it into Yandex or Google. The phrase in the form that was sent to you is not mentioned anywhere — a sign that they are trying to manipulate you. It is important to remember that the media, actively reprinting each other, can spread fakes, which then go to messengers. Therefore, it is best to compare information from at least three sources.
- Check the media files.
If you receive a suspicious attachment, first of all, remember that downloading unverified files to your device is a rather dangerous activity. First, you should check its format — exe or apk mean that this is not a picture, but files that run a program on the device and may contain a virus.
– After making sure that this is a photo, upload it (or a screenshot of the video) to Yandex Images, Google Lens or TinEye. The services can show where this file has appeared before.
– To check the authenticity of a video, you can use, for example, the InVID or Yandex Video tool. Such tools analyze frames and find the original.
– Check the dates and context.
Fakes often pass off the old as new, so check the date through a news aggregator.
- Contact official sources.
For example, if we are talking about unexpected outbreaks of epidemics, check the information on the WHO website or the Ministry of Health of your country.
Remember the rule of cross-checking: always check information in several sources. It is desirable that they represent different points of view on the situation, but at the same time rely on facts (authoritative publications, not anonymous accounts). By following these steps, you can quickly and effectively check the information for accuracy.
What to do if you find a fake in a messenger?
If you come across false information in WhatsApp or Telegram, here is the optimal algorithm for your next steps:
1. Do not forward. Delete the fake from the chat to avoid spreading it further.
2. Talk to the sender. Politely point out the error: “I checked, this photo is old. Here are the reliable facts.”
3. Share the truth. Send a link to a reliable source of information on the topic of the message in the chat.
4. Set up messengers. In WhatsApp, disable media auto-download (Settings → Data and storage → Auto-download → Disable). In Telegram, avoid suspicious channels and use the “Report” button.
To sum it up, even a small lie can have serious consequences. Every unverified message you send in a chat can cause panic or mistrust.
One click of “forward” can turn a small lie into a wave that destroys trust and sows chaos. But you can prevent this by being skeptical of information and checking facts.