There's nothing wrong with " putting your best foot forward ".

Everyone takes pictures with people they respect / admire (it not only provides social kudos but also gives them a little bit of confidence). Women wear makeup to accentuate their appearance (and to look more youthful), men buy watches and try to display wealth as directly as possible.

If done properly, this certainly gives people the ability to showcase themselves in the best light. There's nothing wrong with it. However, the line can easily be crossed when people try and portray themselves as someone, or something, that they are not. This is as true in the financial sense as the social one.

The big problem here pertains to the many "millionaires" who have popped up on the likes of Twitter and Instagram. Because these platforms are typically much less "deep" than the likes of Facebook, they end up attracting people who are big on claims, lax results / proof.

Tai Lopez is a good example. What's he actually done that he can point to and say that it gives him the chops to teach others about business?

Bill Gates can identify Microsoft. Warren Buffet could point to Berkshire Hathaway. They have nothing to hide because almost all of it is in the public sphere. When these guys do / claim things, you take heed because their success is self evident. They don't need to posture / peacock about it.

When you deal with the myriad of "Twitter millionaires", it's an entirely different story. Not only do these guys like to tell people how "wealthy" they are (although they're not), and all the "lavish" things they've been doing with their lives, you end up with a group of people who basically don 't do a lot except promote themselves.

Because I keep seeing more & more of these guys online, I felt it appropriate to write a short article describing several "signs" to identify them …

• Constantly Use The Term "Millionaire"
  To the uninitiated, "millionaire" is a very evocative term. Whilst most people's parents (if they're middle class) could likely be considered "millionaires" – due to their property holdings etc – the idea that someone is a "self made" millionaire still seems to draw people in like a magnet. The point is that most extremely successful people tend to downplay their wealth. Bill Gates never really talks about his money unless he gets asked about it. This is the opposite to a "Twitter Millionaire" – these guys like to tell everybody that they're "making millions of dollars", despite no-one knowing what they actually do.
• No One Knows What They "Do"
  Guaranteed that 99% of the "Twitter Millionaires" will never reveal their "business", and if they do, it's vague. This is the case for every single one * I * have seen, although I only look at around 5 of them. What's interesting is that they'll happily tell you how much money they've been making, but will never give you any sort of indication of what they actually did to make it. This is a major red flag. Nothing happens in a void – if someone's made decent money, you can typically identify what / how it's being done. And no, I would not expect someone to reveal their entire business – just an indication of the "expertise" they offered the market in return for the money they earned. Nothing happens in a void.
• Live Vicariously Through Twitter / Instagram
  Another trait is they will typically put their "social" accounts before everything else. If they go to a restaurant, they're not doing to because they "want" to – but because they generally think that they'll get a "good selfie" or some other credential that they can brag about. Whilst many people do this – most of it is sincere and non-problematic. For the fake social personality … getting "seen" in the right places is by far the most important thing they can be doing with their time. Not only does this give them credence with their audience, but also gives them "popular" images to put onto their various accounts online. If it's for the camera, it's fake. People who are genuine don't need a camera to validate their choice of vacation location, or
• Thrive On Attention
  It's all about "followers", "likes" and "comments". Sure, everybody gets a rush from having others "follow" what they're doing, but those in the trenches are too busy doing stuff than to worry about how many likes it's going to get them. I've found that the fake social persona is typically built around the thirst for attention. Attention drives leads. Leads buy products. This is the real reason most of these people do it, and it's easy to see why. Kylie Jenner recently revealed her "lips" makeup set made $ 380m + in its first year … all from her social "following". I'm not really bothered about how people live their lives. It does annoy me, though, when others try and bring others down in an attempt to make themselves look good. This is a bully's tactic and it's weak.
• It's All About "Them"
  The most important thing is that it's all about "them". Almost never will they feature other people, or have underlying consensus with a number of other groups etc. They just do their own thing because that's all they really care about.
• Flip Out EASILY (Block / Call People Out)
  This is something called "projection" – their own imaginary world is rocked by the "meddling kids" and so they go on a rampage to block them. Whilst this works in their little head, it's indicative of someone who's basically projecting an image they cannot sustain. It's the same deal for people who buy everything on credit – the minute someone calls them out for it, they go off on a tangent trying to project their fake persona. Ultimately, it means that if you even broach them on the idea that what they've posted is almost entirely fabricated, and they respond with some sort of visceral response (basically anything that doesn't involve specific proof), you're dealing with someone who's not real. A good phrase to know in this situation is "ad hominem", which is basically the process of defending one's position by attacking the credentials of the person asking for proof etc. This tactic is used almost universally by these people.
• Never Post PROOF
  This is the big one. There is generally ZERO evidence to support any of their claims. Sure, they can post a picture in a rented Ferrari, or have some other random stuff to make themselves look popular / successful … but that's all it is – surface level nonsense. If you're investigating anyone in particular, you need to be absolutely clear that the person you're looking at is able to corroborate the claims they're making. This is actually very simple – post a balance sheet or tax return . Neither of these reveal the actual income (so it's generally accepted that they can be used in a public sphere), and give a clear indicator of capital allocation (assets / liabilities). If someone wants you to think they're a "millionaire" so badly, they'll surely have no issue in producing one of the above documents. If not – or if they cannot generally prove their status, the consensus is they're likely super-inflating their achievements / lifestyle.