How To Spot Fake News Stories Online

If you're like me and you scroll through social media seeing the things people share. You probably spot a lot of things that you want to comment "fake news" on. It happens every day. So, allow me to help those who usually fall for those posts that are clearly fake.

Earlier today, I saw someone share this:

If you think for one second that Dollar General is giving away a $150 coupon to EVERYONE who shares this post, well my friend, you are sadly mistaken. This link takes you to another pages that looks like this:

That's not even Dollar General's website. This is nothing more than a scam. Sorry if you got your hopes up on getting that $150 coupon.

A lot of times, fake movie posts (like the one featured above) are shared online. They are one of the easiest things to fall for. If you question if a movie is really happening or not, a simple Google search will help. Also, you can search for those movies on this reliable source: IMDb.com.

Nowadays, you will find some posts that are giving false or fake information about the COVID-19 pandemic. If a post comes from a source that you have never heard of, that should be your first red flag. Be sure to check  official government websites, or trusted news sources before you share information.

Sometimes people will share a post that is factual, however, they failed to either read the article itself or look at the date it was published. I can't tell you how many times I see someone share a post that was from a year or two ago. Don't be that person. If you're going to post or share something online, at least read it first.

Facebook recently have started putting fact checkers on articles that are being shared that aren't true. Occasionally, you will see them underneath the post confirming that it is "fake news". However, that's not always the case.

I found a helpful info-graph that will help you determine if a news story or photo is legit. This could save you the embarrassment of people calling you out for falling for fake news on social media.

There you have it. Spotting fake news should be a lot easier after knowing those things. If you think something is too good to be true, chances are, it is. Here's a quick summary:

• Beware of scams! Don't fall for fake ploys on Facebook
• If it's not a credible news source posting, be sure to do a quick search on other trusted news sites to see if that story is on there.
• Also, be sure to check out the date on articles. You will see a lot of people share old posts without realizing that it already happened a few years ago. It may not be fake news, but it could be old news.

Hopefully this post helps you spot those fake news stories. If you have seen a lot of people share posts like that, go ahead and share this article with them on social media. They'll thank you for it later!