You don’t need special tools. Most of what we publish came apart with free websites and a few minutes of curiosity. Here is what we check first.
Deceptive marketing
Deceptive marketing is any claim that gives a false or misleading impression to get you to buy. In Canada it doesn’t have to be an outright lie: the Competition Bureau looks at the general impression a claim leaves, not just its literal words.
Read the guarantee, then read the terms
Big promises on the front page (“guaranteed results”, “satisfaction or your money back”) are easy to write. Find the terms and conditions and the refund policy and check whether they say the same thing. If the promise shrinks in the fine print, the fine print is what you are buying.
Check the price story
A crossed-out “regular” price only means something if the product was really sold at that price. Countdown timers and live “recent sign-ups” counters are often the same number for every visitor, every day. Load the page tomorrow and compare.
Look up the logos
“As seen in” strips of famous logos are cheap. A real feature is easy to find: search the outlet’s own site for the business name. If the coverage was paid for, many outlets mark it as sponsored or as a contributor post. That isn’t the same as their newsroom writing about you.
Check the awards and rankings
“Award-winning”, “ranked number one”, “five stars”: ask who gave the award, and whether that organisation exists apart from the business. Search the awarding body’s name on its own.
Find the business
A real business has a findable address, a working phone number and a registration. Check that the address on the website matches the one in the terms. Provincial and state business registries are free to search.
Inauthentic behaviour
Inauthentic behaviour is accounts pretending to be someone they are not. Sometimes it’s one account. Often it’s several working together to make something look popular, trusted or widely liked.
Search the photo
Save or screenshot the profile picture and upload it to Google Lens or TinEye. If the face belongs to someone with a different name, you have your answer. Try the cover photo and any “personal” photos too.
Read the history
Scroll back. Real people have a messy, years-long trail. A persona often starts recently, posts on a theme, and then mostly comments under ads or other accounts.
Compare the comments
The same review, nearly word for word, from the same person under several ads is a pattern worth noticing. So is a group of accounts that always show up together and praise the same things.
Tap the badge
A blue check on Facebook or Instagram can mean a paid Meta Verified subscription. It confirms that someone paid or qualified. It doesn’t confirm the person is who the profile says.
Visit the link
If a profile links to a website, open it. Does it work? Does it belong to the person on the profile? Is the domain new? A free ICANN lookup shows when a domain was registered.
Check AI-generated images
Look at hands, teeth, ears, jewellery, and any writing in the background. Text that doesn’t form real letters and objects that melt into each other are common giveaways. They’re getting harder to see, so treat this as a clue, not proof.
What to do next
- Don’t engage. Replying or arguing boosts the post.
- Save what you see. Take screenshots with the date visible and copy the full link. Pages change and accounts disappear.
- Report it. Use the platform’s report button, and see our list of where to report.
- Send it to us. If you’d rather not report it yourself, see Send us a tip.