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The 60-Second Fake Account Check
A fake account copies the photo, the display name and sometimes the badge. What it cannot copy is history. These four checks take under a minute and catch almost every impersonator.
The 60-Second Fake Account Check
One printable page: the four checks that expose a fake profile before you reply, click or send anything. Free, no email needed.
1Read the handle character by character
Extra letters, a zero where the letter O should be, or words like support, official or help tacked onto the end are the classic clone signature. A real brand does not hide characters inside its own name.
Example: @AppIeSupport (capital i) is not @AppleSupport.
2Check the join date
An account claiming to be a big brand, a founder or a support desk that was created recently is high risk, even if it carries a paid badge. Badges can be bought and accounts can be stolen; join dates cannot be changed.
Tell: created this month and calling itself "Official Support". Stop there.
3Open the bio link and read the real domain
Telegram invites, link shorteners and addresses that are almost but not quite the real brand are where the damage happens. Never connect a wallet or type a seed phrase from a link in a bio.
Tell: a support desk that moves you to a Telegram chat is not a support desk.
4Run the profile through a free scan
Paste the profile link into the GACS social scanner. It checks the account against community scam reports and known impersonation patterns before you reply or send anything. Free, no signup needed.
gacs.app/social-scan
A verification check is not proof. It tells you someone paid, not that someone is real.
If it looks fake
- Do not send wallet keys, one-time codes, passwords or screenshots of your accounts.
- Screenshot the profile and the messages now, before the account disappears.
- Report the account on the platform where you found it.
- Submit it to GACS so the next person sees a warning before they lose money.
Print this page and keep it where you check messages.
Run the same check on a live profile: scan a social account, read the impersonation guide, or keep the wider is-this-a-scam checklist.
GACS is a free public scam registry. We check and warn. We do not recover money and we never charge victims.
Authoritative sources
Independent primary sources used to check and corroborate the guidance on this page.
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)Official US channel for reporting internet-enabled fraud and cybercrime.
US Federal Trade Commission — ReportFraudConsumer fraud reporting and published enforcement data.
UK Report FraudUK national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime.
Canadian Anti-Fraud CentreCanada's central repository for fraud reports and scam alerts.