Understand when a message is forwarded Messages with the "Forwarded" label help you determine if your friend or relative wrote the message or if it originally came from someone else. When a message is forwarded from one user to another more than five times, it's indicated with a double arrow icon . If you're not sure who wrote the original message, double check the facts. To learn more about forwarding messages, please read these articles.

Check photos and media carefully Photos, audio recordings, and videos can be edited to mislead you. Look at trusted news sources to see if the story is being reported elsewhere. When a story is reported in multiple places, it's more likely to be true.

Look out for messages that look different Many messages or website links you receive containing hoaxes or fake news have spelling mistakes. Look for these signs so you can check if the information is accurate. To learn more about hoax messages, read this article.

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

Fake news often goes viral Even if a message is shared many times, this doesn’t make it true. Don't forward a message because the sender is urging you to do so. If you see something that's fake, tell the person that sent it to you and ask them to verify information before they share it. If a group or a contact is constantly sending fake news, report them. To learn how to report a contact or a group, read this article.