How to Spot a Fake Profile on Myspace

MySpace is advertised as the space for friends but how do you know if the friends you meet are real or not?
Here are some tips to help you figure it out.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Myspace account

1. 

   Begin by looking at the number of friends the Myspace profile has. If they have a lot of friends and have only been on the site a short amount of time, its likely they are using a friend adder "bot" (computerized robots) and are selling something.

2. 

   Next look at the pictures. If the pictures are professional or if you just see body parts, odds are good it's a fake Myspace profile. If they are claiming to be a model or actress, they will have professional pics, but most real profiles will have "everyday" pics also.

3. 

   Fake profiles are trying to sell all kinds of goods and services. Look for clues for what they are selling. How many pretty girls include their messenger directly on their Myspace profile? None if they have any sense. If Yahoo, Aim or other messengers are included directly on the Myspace profile, they are probably selling adult services like webcam. (see notes) If they have blogs that say things like "I made easy money doing such and such", they are probably looking to reel you in with a money making scam. Sooner or later these services will be looking for your credit card number to take your cash!

4. 

   Another give away of fake Myspace profiles is the comments section. Fake profiles don't bother to send out genuine comments, so they will have comments added by "bots" like, "Thanks for Adding Me". But no real conversation comments. They may also have a lot of spam comments for things like free gift cards and ringtones which they never bothered to delete.

5. Always keep in mind that you don't know who you are talking to on Myspace when you meet someone new there and use caution.

Tips & Warnings

• Watch out for free gift card offers like the Macy's one which leads you through one step after the other with the ultimate goal of getting your credit card number.
• Adult services put instant messengers on Myspace. When someone IM's the chat name, they get automated responses which are clever enough to seem real, inviting them to join in the fun on webcam. Of course the credit card has to come out at that point.

Resources

• How to Spot a Fake Celebrity Profile on Myspace
• How to Spot an Artist Faking Plays on Myspace

[johngriggs]

on 7/20/2009 Great tips on how to spot a Fake MySpace profile! Oh by the way see me on my webcam at www.... just kidding! 5* rec

[missnice104]

on 10/1/2008 I have run into a few profiles and have also had people ask me for my help or for money! I appreciate this wonderful article! Thanks!!

[Elizabethknows]

on 9/30/2008 thanks but I guess that is what happens online. Sense you can see the person you are stuck just trusting them;)

[Gardengates]

on 9/29/2008 I never thought much about fake profiles, but these are good tips!