I'm a fact-checker at Snopes, the internet's authority on viral hoaxes. Here's how I tell if news is fake.

• With the consumption of online information, context is everything — especially in times of crisis.
• There have been tons of viral hoaxes during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including old imagery and fake stories.

When it comes to the consumption of information on the internet, particularly in times of crisis, context is everything. As a reporter for the fact-checking website Snopes, it is my job to verify viral stories, social media posts, and memes to determine their legitimacy. Rarely do we see a post that is purely "true" or "false," and more often than not, we come across claims or rumors that lack important nuance.

Creators of online disinformation spread rumors that justify feelings or existing beliefs, sometimes intentionally and other times accidentally, writes my Snopes colleague and fellow reporter Jessica Lee. In moments of controversy, it's human nature to want answers and explanations. Bad actors take advantage of that to spread falsehoods online, inciting emotions and further polarizing groups of opposing ideologies.

At Snopes, we've covered a wide range of rumors about Russia's attack on Ukraine, from outdated yet recirculating imagery to an altered cover of "Time" magazine that compared Russian President Vladimir Putin to Germany Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. Our team has come across news reports that lacked context, a $1 million bounty on Putin's head, supposed claims made by world leaders, a former beauty pageant contestant rumored to have taken arms in the conflict, and "Ukrainian Army Cats" trained to spot sniper lasers. Suffice it to say that no realm of the news cycle is safe from misinformation.

Here's how my news team determines what's authentic and what's fake by using our Snopes-ing 101: The Fact-Checkers' Toolbox.

How you can spot coordinated inauthentic behavior

Coordinated inauthentic behavior refers to the use of multiple social media accounts or pages that hide the real identities of those in charge to mislead or influence people, often for political or financial benefits. As Snopes reporter Jordan Liles writes, it can be quite easy to see, if you know where to look.

Each Facebook page has a section called "Page Transparency," which allows users to view information about the management of the page, such as the country it is operating from and its past name changes. Found within the Page Transparency section is the page creation date, which may also be used to scope out legitimacy. Highly political and recently created pages or groups centered on US politics, yet operating outside of the country, can be indicators of bad actors.

Posts that end with a "Like and Share" call to action are also often associated with networks of coordinated inauthentic behavior.

How to avoid 'copypasta'

Put the parmesan down — copypasta is anything but appetizing. A portmanteau for "copy and paste," copypasta is the 21st-century equivalent to chain mail, and it refers to text that is copied, pasted, and shared online. It's a means by which internet users unwittingly or wittingly perpetuate false information by copying and pasting unverified claims and passing them along to others.

As I've previously reported: "Copypasta is often identified by vague content surrounding unfounded claims that lack a specific source, and may take the form of a fear-inducing account of an unnamed individual's (alleged) personal experience." We saw many examples of copypasta circulate online during the COVID-19 pandemic and have fact-checked social media posts in the wake of the Russian invasion, such as this "Why Ukraine Matters" Facebook post (which contained some claims that were true and others that were false or misleading.).

Examples of evergreen, effective copypasta fact-checked by Snopes years ago continue to pop up in our inbox daily. A few tell-tale signs of copypasta include:

• A lack of a verified source (or sources) from which the information was said to have originated.
• Warnings or notices on social media that include a call to action.
• Too-good-to-be-true giveaways.
• Over-generalizing claims meant to evoke emotion or incite fear.

Be on the lookout for 'troll bait'

The concept of the internet troll dates back to, well, the launch of the world wide web. Simply put, a troll is an online user that posts inflammatory, insincere, digressive, extraneous, or emotion-evoking content as a means to incite social media discourse.

Trolls intentionally start arguments or engage in hostile discourse online to further stoke controversial digital fires. Troll bait is their fuel.

Troll bait refers to posts, pictures, or graphs that are meant to draw a strong reaction, almost always negative, to drive traffic to their site by way of pushing people to share the original content either in support or opposition. At Snopes, we've seen our fair share of troll bait from the beginning of the Ukrainian invasion, when one viral hoax falsely claimed that "American journalists" were killed on the first day of the conflict. Another showed a doctored image of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy holding a swastika sports jersey.

In fact, Zelenskyy has even been accused of trolling Putin during a video message.

"Entire careers and publications are built on content that makes you mad," writes Brandon Echter, a digital content strategist and former Snopes engagement editor. "The only way to win is to not play."

Pro tip: Don't take the digital bait.

Fact-Checking is Not for the Faint of Heart

In the aftermath of a contentious presidential election, the COVID-19 pandemic, and now the Russia-Ukraine war, fact checkers around the world have been dragged through the digital mud. Bad actors and nefarious parties often downplay the amount of work, precision, and training that this form of journalism requires while others inaccurately claim to have "done their own research." In times of uncertainty and crisis, it's important to practice proper media literacy etiquette.

If in doubt, don't share it out.