Rise of the fakes: Letters to the editor, Facebook

WHO’S FAKE AND WHO’S REAL ON SOCIAL? LEARN HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

The campaign season heats up when candidate trackers and fake Facebook accounts start showing up.

A fake Facebook profile popped up two weeks ago and started making “friends” with political types across the state. First he had a couple of takers. Then a couple more.

There is no Niel Fernandez in the State of Alaska voter database. Not in Anchorage, and not anywhere.

No Niel Fernandez applied for a Permanent Fund dividend this year. Or in any recent year.

Several politicos — 23 so far — fell for the con and friended Mr/Ms. Fernandez, who launched his/her fake account with only one thing to say for his first Facebook comment, and it was a slam against Mike Dunleavy, the candidate for governor.

Grammar and attention to factual information aside, it was clear this was going to be a political attack account:

Now, Fernandez is appearing as a letter writer in the Anchorage Daily News, with nearly the exact same message, slightly edited and likely cleaned up for publication by the newspaper:

Fernandez was called out for being fake several days ago, and he has been reported to Facebook as a fake. Facebook takes veracity seriously, but can be slow to act.

Fernandez has motored on, responding to critics with this explanation, which attacks both Dunleavy and Begich for having “Outside” money:

“Some people are calling me a fake and a “troll” so lets clear that up:

“I am not a registered Voter because whats the point? My 1 vote wont change anything but I still have an opinion.

“My name is spelled NIEL not Neal or Neil because its based on Grandma’s maiden name. Her parents imgrated from Denmark.”

LEARN THE ROPES OF SOCIAL MEDIA

How do you spot a fake Facebook account?

Don’t accept “friend” requests without digging deeper. Even friends have their Facebook accounts hacked sometimes, and you may be getting a friend request from a con artist.

To learn more, check out these pointers from WikiHow, and learn how to report face Facebooks account to Facebook.