When you’re close with someone, it’s hard to pick up on the obvious signs that may be staring you in your face especially when you’re incredibly fond of this person.
You would like to think the best of them and possibly make excuses when they seem strange but at some point, you’re going to wonder if they are a real friend.
Fake friends will act in a particular way that will make you doubt if their intentions are clear and honest. They will often tell lies, find ways to make you feel insecure, are never around to support you when you need help but require that you be there for them. Friendship is based on their terms only and if you can’t give them what they want, you won’t hear from then.
They may also try to mislead you while also spreading lies about you to other people while pretending to be nice to you.
There’s a lot more that goes into how a fake friend acts that you need to be aware of.
Here are 13 signs you can use to spot a fake friend and be reassured whether the person close to you is someone who you can trust wholeheartedly or not.
13 Ways Fake Friends Act
1. They pick on you and make you feel insecure
Fake friends will always find something to make you aware that they don’t like you. It could be the way you dress, eat, or even smile.
They’re sure to find any petty thing to obsess about and will snidely tell you to change so that you can improve yourself.
You’ll notice many times when they suggest you do something or dislike when you do something that is good for you. Any friend who tries to undermine your confidence is someone you should be careful about.
2. They lie almost all the time
Most of the fake friends I’ve come across tell such fluent lies, it’s surprising when you experience them first hand.
A fake friend either will tell you a lie about something or someone but they may also twist a story of yours to suit their purpose even if it’s far off from the truth.
They can never truly be honest enough to give a straight answer. I’ve had a friend tell me once told me that this fake friend claims that I said something when in fact, we never even had that specific conversation before.
3. Pretend to like you but will mislead you
Fake friends may try to act super interested in what’s been going on in your life and what your plans are.
They may use cheap tactics to make you doubt your choices, career path, and relationship status and say things that are sure to upset you in a certain way.
As mentioned before, this fake friend will easily lie just so that they can mislead you and be happy when something doesn’t go wrong.
Make sure to check out this post on how you can know whether a friend really likes you for you are.
4. They never have anything good to say about you
One typical sign of a fake friend is when all they talk about is themselves and never bother listening with open ears to anything you have to say.
It won’t be easy to hear any kind or good words coming out of their mouth in regards to you and neither will you hear from other people that your friend has said positive things about you.
5. When they need something, then they’ll know you
The only time this friend will want to know you is when they need a favor. It’s either helping them out in some way like loaning them cash, driving them somewhere, or they just want some sort of need met.
However, when you have nothing to offer or are unavailable to offer your help, they’ll try to put the blame on you.
If you ever need help or advice from this person, they are simply too busy to return the favor.
Related post: How To Deal With Friends That Get Mad When You Say No
6. They try to find out more to spread stories
For some fake friends, they can be incredibly curious to know what’s been going on in your life simply with the purpose of carrying stories or smearing your name to others.
They are exceptionally curious to know what’s your future plans, how you want to go about to, and most of the time this usually comes from jealousy and insecurity.
They feel like they’re in a competition and want to feel like they have achieved more than you or are better than you in some way.
7. They disappear and reappear with no warning
This type of friend will come and go as they please. You will never get a warning or sign but they easily breeze back in like nothing ever happened.
They can also be incredibly touchy if you tell them something about themselves or make a light joke that they find offensive.
Disappearing for days or weeks and even ignoring your messages are just some of the mind tricks they can play.
8. They talk behind your back
Gossiping and spreading false truths are something that happens so many times with fake friends and it’s one you will eventually experience if your friend turns out to be fake.
This person never has your best interests in heart and to be honest, they don’t care about you all that much. As long as they paint you out to be a person who isn’t great and fits their image, they are happy.
A true friend will only have positive things to say about you and would never try to intentionally make you seem bad.
9. Acting differently in front of others
Fake friends like to act differently in front of others. They may either act totally sweet and kind but with you they are snarky.
They could also try acting differently in front of someone else by making it seem like they aren’t close with you but more of an acquaintance. It really depends on the situation.
10. They are self-centered and care less about you
The attention will always be on them no matter what. They care less about your opinions or what you think of them.
Focusing on what they want to do or where to control, they want to have as much control as they possibly can get.
Another thing to mention is that when something happens to you in a negative way, they would rather laugh at your issues than being sympathetic or in some cases fake sympathy to seem like a good person.
11. Fake friends will never support or take your part
Do your friends support your goals, want to hear your problems, or give you proper advice? Do they ever take your part when others gang up on you? Do they ever try to make you see reason without hurting your feelings?
Then, I’m happy to tell you that you have a pretty good friend there for you.
However, if your friend never supports you on multiple occasions even when it isn’t your fault, then you might want to rethink whether this person is there to use you or a real friend you feel comfortable sharing your problems with.
12. They mock you for your past mistakes
Fake friends will always try to bring up your past mistakes and make you hear words.
They’ll try to make you feel bad so that you keep regretting your choices. Laughing or making you the center of the joke is just one of the cheap tricks they might try to play.
13. You can never rely on them
Don’t expect a fake friend to be there for you unless they get something out of the exchange.
They are never outwardly willing to offer you help or get you out of a jam.
As long as they feel you need to do something for them, they will treat you right but they never expect or want you to ask them for anything.
Should You Continue Being Friends With Them?
If by some chance you have discovered that your friends are fake, you must be feeling conflicted as to what to do. It may feel disheartening too but keeping these friends will only make you feel worse about yourself.
The most important thing to remember is that if this fake friend doesn’t bring any good to your life, is it really worth having those around? It may just be better to completely end the friendship.
The risk of them causing further damage to you emotionally is not worth being continuing the friendship.
However, if your friend ticks off for a few of these signs, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are fake friends.
It could very well be that they are dealing with some stuff which could have led them to be too busy to help you out.
You really have to watch out for how they truly act but if they are continuously acting like a fake friend, be sure to let them go because there is someone else out there who will be that true friend that you need.
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