GREENSBORO, N.C. — Growing up, the only imposters we ever saw were in spy movies. You know when they ripped off that mask and another person was underneath, but today anyone with a computer can pretend to be someone else. It's a growing problem.
In 2018, Facebook shut down 3.3 billion fake accounts. Last year, that jumped to 5.4 billion. That's a 63 percent increase in a single year. And now, one of those fake accounts belongs to someone impersonating WFMY News 2 online.
The imposter uses the WFMY News 2 logo to comment on stories with politically charged statements like #Trump2020 or #Biden2020.
Here's how you can tell it's fake. It's really easy: the fake account does not have a blue checkmark. If we comment on something, the post shows up with a blue verified checkmark! So, to check if it's real, look for the blue checkmark.
By the way, we have reported the imposter to Facebook, and we've got a whole team of journalists here who can help you separate the fact from fiction online. If there's something you want to be Verified, email us the post. Just send it to news@wmfy.com.