Being followed by many fake accounts on Instagram is cause for alarm, especially for famous people. A small number of the followers on almost all accounts will be fake, or at the very least appear to be. Technology has advanced to detect the number of bots even though we cannot tell which follower is fake and which is genuine.

However, a small number of questionable accounts isn’t usually proof that a celebrity purchased that particular portion of their fan base. Suspicious accounts could be following someone for a variety of reasons. One reason accounts with a long period of inactivity may be marked as suspicious.

Although identifying fake followers has never been an exact science, numbers may provide approximations. So, if you’re wondering what follower bots are and how some celebrities excel at making fools of their audiences by increasing their fame through bot followers, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s everything you need to know!

What are fake follower bots?

Fake bots accounts are fraudulent accounts that impersonate genuine people on social media networks. They are developed by hackers and organisations for various goals, including posting dangerous links, spreading fake news, and influencing societal beliefs.

Platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook have implemented measures to detect and remove fake followers. They continuously refine their algorithms to identify and suspend accounts using such bots. Buying or using fake follower bots violates the terms of service of these platforms and can result in penalties, including account suspension or permanent bans.

Celebrities with the most fake follower bots on social media

ExpressVPN conducted a study and analyzed data from celebrity social media accounts to determine which celebrities have the most fake followers on Instagram and TikTok. The findings show that American rappers Lil Durk and Future have the highest number of fake followers on TikTok and Instagram. 

Lil Durk has 56% fake followers, while Future has 50%. Other musicians like Kendrick Lamar have 45% fake followers, Drake has 41%, and Adele has 29%.

Among actors, Daniel Kaluuya, known for his role in Black Panther, has the most fake followers across his social media profiles. He has a staggering 43% fake followers across his social media profiles. Following him are Timothée Chalamet from Dune with 39% and Anya Taylor-Joy from The Menu with 31%.

Even athletes are not exempt from fake followers. Kevin Durant, a popular American basketball player, has a staggering 46% of fake followers on TikTok and Instagram. Russell Westbrook and James Harden, fellow basketball players, also have a significant number of fake followers, with 42%.

Regardless of whether the celebrities on the list below have bought bots, a large portion of their followers are thought to be fake.

Why Would Celebrities Need it?

Most celebrities have not purchased influence through bots; rather, they are victims of the same fraud that ordinary social media users confront due to how false accounts operate. Fake accounts use a name and a profile photo to impersonate the accounts of actual individuals but rarely have a bio or other personal information. However, becoming verified on social media and gaining a large number of followers is a competitive race nowadays, and in order to win, celebrities often rely on fake bot followers.

How to detect celebrities with fake followers?

Examining the profiles of a celebrity’s followers is a good approach to finding out more about them. It’s rather simple to distinguish between a real person and a profile that was made specifically to increase a celebrity’s following.

Some of the biggest red flags include accounts that follow numerous well-known accounts but have no followers of their own, accounts with a generic profile photo, and accounts with usernames that appear to be computer-generated, typically consisting of a random name followed by a random string of numbers or a random collection of meaningless words.

Therefore, if accounts like this keep appearing on a celebrity’s follower list, they may have fake followers.