The social life: There are many fake profiles out there

There could be more than 140 million fake Facebook accounts. Photo/Thinkstock

Are you really who you say you are? What about your friends and acquaintances online?

It's generally easy enough to know in real life, but on the internet the whole world is in your hands and a few billion extra strangers are just a click or tap away.

Estimates last year put the number of fake Twitter accounts at more than 20 million, while two years ago it was reported more than 80 million Facebook accounts were fake. A story on VentureBeat.com said there could be as many as 140 million fake Facebook accounts.

For fans of celebrity or brand social media accounts, one way of safely navigating the Twitter or Facebook minefield of fake accounts is to follow the blue tick badge.

First used by Twitter, then Facebook, the blue tick badge on a person or brand's cover or header photo signifies a verified account.

The tick (actually a white tick on a blue circle) also shows up next to names in search results.

Twitter says it verifies accounts to make it easier for users to find who they're looking for.

They reckon it doesn't factor in follower count or tweet count, and Joe Blow can't request verification. If you have to ask you're probably not famous or interesting enough.

So it's somewhat of an exclusive club of the uber-cool.

There are plenty of Kiwis verified on Twitter including Ruby Frost, Steven Adams and Sam Neill, but Keisha Castle-Hughes and Anika Moa are not. Even Kim Dotcom, who has 350,000 followers, is not verified. The All Blacks, Silver Ferns, Warriors, Breakers and Phoenix are verified, but not the Kiwis.

You may think there's nothing stopping you doctoring up your own wee tick badge, but if you're caught say goodbye to your account.

Twitter says it will permanently suspend accounts engaging in such fakery.

There's only one real way to get your own blue badge - get famous, get popular and get noticed. (Unless you're Kim Dotcom apparently).