Case File

As Nova continued exploring life on Earth, she realized that social media wasn’t just a place where students shared photos and videos. Many schools, sports teams, clubs, and community groups also used social media to share important news and upcoming events.

One afternoon, students throughout the school began receiving follow requests and recommendations for a new social media account called:

@St.Patrick.Official

The account looked completely real.

It used the school’s name, the school logo, and even the same school colours as the official website.

Over the next week, the account shared photos from school events, reminders about spirit days, and announcements about upcoming activities. Everything matched information that students had already heard at school.

Nova followed the account without thinking twice.

“So this must be the school’s official page,” she thought.

A few days later, a new post appeared.

🚨 IMPORTANT SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENT
Due to unexpected maintenance, tomorrow’s Grade 5 field trip has been cancelled. Please do not bring your permission forms or lunches. More information will be shared soon.

The comments filled quickly.

“Thanks for letting us know!”

“I guess we’re staying at school tomorrow.”

“I’m telling my parents!”

Students began sharing the post with friends and family. Some parents even changed their plans for the next day. Nova almost unpacked the lunch she had already prepared for the trip.

Then, later that evening, a message arrived in her family’s school email. It read:

Important Notice
We are aware of a fake social media account pretending to represent our school. Please note that tomorrow’s Grade 5 field trip is NOT cancelled. The account sharing this information is not affiliated with the school. We ask families to report the account and rely only on official school communication channels for important announcements.

Nova was surprised. She looked back at the social media page. It had the school logo. It had the school name. It had already posted several announcements that were completely accurate. No wonder so many students believed it.

The next morning, Nova learned that some students had left their permission forms at home, while others hadn’t packed lunches because they believed the fake announcement. Fortunately, the school was able to help, but the confusion caused unnecessary stress for students, families, and teachers.

Nova realized something important. Just because an account looks official doesn’t mean it actually is.

Feeling curious, Nova immediately sent an emergency transmission to you, a digital ambassador:

“Digital Ambassadors, I really thought that account belonged to our school. It looked official, used the school’s logo, and even shared real announcements before posting the fake one. How can I tell if an account or announcement is trustworthy before I believe it or share it?”

Your Mission:

Help Nova become a digital fact-checker! Before believing or sharing something online, you’ll need to learn how to spot clues, check information using trusted sources, decide which sources are reliable, and know when to pause before sharing. Can you help Nova figure out what information to trust, how to verify it, and what to do when something online doesn’t seem quite right?