Messages with the “Forwarded” label help you determine if your friend or family wrote the message or if it originally came from someone else. When a message is forwarded through a chain of five or more chats, meaning it’s at least five forwards away from its original sender, a double arrow icon and the “Forwarded many times” label will be displayed. If you’re not sure who wrote the original message, double check the facts.

Check your biases

Watch out for information that confirms your pre-existing beliefs; review the facts yourself before sharing information. Stories that seem hard to believe are often untrue.

Fact-check information with other sources

Related News

Fake news often goes viral, and photos, audio recordings and videos can be edited to mislead you. Even if a message is shared many times, this doesn’t make it true. If you receive information that’s fake, inform the sender that they sent you incorrect information and recommend they verify messages before sharing them.

Look out for messages that look different

Many unwanted messages and links that you might receive have spelling or grammar mistakes, or ask you to share personal information.