The more I promote my book, the more weird people show up in my DMs. Cold messaging out of the blue is not uncommon for book promoters with legitimate services, but scammers have the same behavior, which is annoying. Let's talk about what to do about all this, and how we can play detective to avoid giving our information to predators and scam artists.
The internet is a scary place. Most child human trafficking starts online, as grooming, when people pretend to be the age of the victim. Either they want to be a lover, a protector or father figure, or promise luxury they don't give. They figure out which by a short conversation that lasts nearly three minutes. This was what a representative from Safe Harbor told us. I will have the website for Safe Harbor right here: SAFE HARBOR . Adults, too, are groomed, but it is easy to get underaged boys and girls (I said boys, you heard me) to interact with a "peer". Given all this information, we need to know if our children are talking to predators.
Today's blog is all about spotting fakes, such as fake celebrities, predators, or scammers. I'll talk about all three and the many ways to check your facts. I'm going to start with what you should tell your kids to do if someone messages them and they don't know them, then branch out into what detective work you can do to spot the fake profiles online.
Kids and the Internet
We all know younger children are more trusting than adults, and that's just the reality of this current world. The more we live in it, the more we distrust our environment. This means young Jimmy and young Suzy are prime targets for scammers. Older adults with memory disorders are also prime targets, but are unlikely to be online (that's mostly phone scams, I think). Given that, the first rule I'll teach my future children is to never message anyone you don't know in real life. This is the modern "stranger danger". I would tell my children to come to me with any random, cold DM (direct messages) and show me.
I would also tell them to use the block button if anyone sent them anything inappropriate. It is not worth their energy or mine to reprimand the person verbally - and I would tell that to anyone at any age. No one is entitled to a response. If anyone is pushing a response, block them. That goes for anyone reading this. This is not just a rule kids should abide. Any harassment warrants the block button. The creeps online are easier to deal with because of this concept.
I don't suggest digging into the detective work (conversing to check the facts) as a kid. I suggest leaving it to a capable adult. However, a quick Google search may be a good idea if you see a DM from a celebrity name. A kid can easily Google search a name and I suggest letting them. However, I don't think they should try to fish for information to verify by conversing with the scammer. Let adults do that, assuming the adults present are less likely to spill personal information.
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| Courtesy of Rappler |
Verifying Identities
Now that we have told our children not to interact with the potential scammer, let's move on. Fake social media is an imposter pretending to be someone else or someone using information from someone else (without their permission) to create an account. This is done to falsify information, harass, groom for sex trafficking, and ruin reputations. Believe it or not, followers who aren't people can make people think twice about your business (if you had one on social media).
The first check is the profile picture. Look for avatars and symbols, or stolen pictures. Low resolution pictures are a bad sign, especially for celebrity pages. Run the profile picture through Google to find the source. If it was ripped from someone else's page you've definitely got a fake. The verified accounts (on some social media) are great ways to know a real celebrity from a fake. Just know that not all celebrities have the checkmark, yet. Not all social media has the mark, so be careful.
Double-check account names and URLs, which can be checked easily. What you need to watch out for is a lack of vanity name, which will be used in real celebrity social media most of the time. If the account name links up and the info is the same across the board (for instance, if the social media links to a real author's website) they are probably genuine. If it doesn't link up and doesn't match, beware. Also, famous people should have lots of followers. If public figure accounts interact with celebrity accounts it is a good sign of a genuine, real person.
The content of the page is also something to pay attention to. Fake accounts aren't posting often. They'll be full of recycled images, stock photos, and memes. They might also have extreme views posted. Look at comments to see if it is just "subscribe to me" over and over, which indicates a bot. Slurs, curse words, and weird slang are also neon signs to fake pages.
I found a fake one - what now?
First, unfollow it immediately. Report it to the site by following the instructions found in
this link. You can block it if you want. Where fake profiles go, bots and trolls are close by. Bots can be good (sending weather and sharing news) or bad (mimicking social agendas and toxically commenting on pages). Bots are short for robots.
Bot behavior is easy to spot as robotic or unnatural. If someone is pushing an agenda on multiple platforms and posts it might be one. Little to no profile info and location that doesn't match the person are common here. Low-resolution images or avatars are commonly used by bots and names are jumbles of letters and even characters. Few to no followers is a dead giveaway.
Trolls are people trying to sabotage other people and be mean on the internet. They have real people on the other end. If it links to disinformation websites, posts third-party content only, has the exact same comment under multiple posts, and is almost exclusively commenting on online discussions you've got a troll.
Fake accounts are illegal in the US if you engage in revenge porn (sending images without consent of all parties), harassment, spreading false information, or impersonating law enforcement. You can make social media accounts as satire legally. The best ways to not be impersonated include setting accounts to private, keeping private info out of your social media, being wary of what you post, only accepting friend requests from those you know, and confirming with your friends to make sure they really are friending you on social media.
I found a source that includes private investigator services for this issue. If you want that, it's the first source on the source list.
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| Courtesy of youtube.com |
Spotting Child Predators
So, we need to talk about this. I hate the idea that children are sold for sex, but it exists. It starts subtle and they may not know they are being groomed for this heinous crime. Let's talk about the signs of predators online - before the kids find them.
Being over-friendly and curious is not a good sign in these interactions. They want to fish for info. Digging or fishing for details is a bad sign. Step in now.
Don't let your kids turn on location online or post location-specific social media. That advertises where your kids hang out. Adults do this, too. Your social media tells everyone where you go.
If someone is always available that's suspicious and kids will eat up any compliments they get. Again, fishing for info is not good. Flattery is a mousetrap in this case. Always available and flattery is a deadly combo.
If someone says "don't tell anyone" that's a red flag you could cover the ocean with. They are predators. Cut that interaction off, now! When predators talk to kids they also start to obsess over keeping the secret and hiding behind closed doors. They'll withdraw. Keep an eye out for this.
If you check your child's social media at random and find they have portions of conversation deleted and missing, act now. They may have been told to delete it and you need to make sure you find out why. Tell them they are not in trouble and they won't lose privileges for showing you their messages.
The rule that you don't respond to random DMs and you show your parents your random DM messages is a good one. It will prevent a predator from gaining any hold on your child. Also, don't let your child meet online friends (unless you actually knew them from real life before you friended them).
Time online during late hours all the time is a sign you've got a predator situation. The less parental supervision the better for these creeps. Also, random numbers on your child's phone are a sign. Ask them about their new friend and how they met. If they get irrationally upset when they can't get online or hide screens from you, check on them.
Beware cold DMing, where the message comes from out of the blue. Out of nowhere messages are a sign of scammers, but also a sign of predatory people. Gifts out of nowhere are a bad sign, too.
Pornography on devices is never good, but it's worse when a predator sends it. Furthermore, when conversations turn sexual you've got a predator. They want the victim to engage. Some don't disguise their age. Some back off if refused because they want immediate results and others groom in subtle ways.
Additionally, here are some phrases that you need to look for. Find out what to do to prepare your child and prevent sexual abuse at
this link.
1. Can you keep a secret? 2. You're my special friend 3. Let's spend some quality alone time together
4. Does somebody need a hug? 5. Want to hear a dirty joke? 6. Your parents don't understand you. I know how you feel. 7. Your parents will never forgive if they find out what we did, you didn't say no!
Sources:
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Jack Thomas is running from a past case. He's hiding in Wrenville. Is his past case catching up with him?
Find out in my first book, Wrenville, a stand-alone suspense novel.
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