How to spot fake social media accounts and Internet trolls

It can get extremely messy trying to sort through what’s real and what’s fake. Trolls often pretend to be members of online communities, from K-pop fans to LGBTQ activists, researchers say. — Dreamstime/TNS

In June, the hashtag #DCblackout erupted on Twitter. A series of tweets claimed authorities had blocked protesters from communicating on their smartphones in order to tamp down on unrest around police brutality and the killing of George Floyd.

Images circulated of an inferno raging beside the Washington Monument, illuminating the landmark dramatically in the nighttime.