It may be tricky to make a lie look credible by having it published thousands of times in media that looks legit. But it doesn’t cost very much.

So says a new report by cybersecurity firm Trend Micro Inc., which shows how inexpensive it is to make a profound impact with fake news, the scourge of social media in the past few years. Smearing someone’s name to discredit his or her work costs about $55,000 while fomenting a full-scale protest over an issue, a more complex task, costs around $200,000, according to the report.

Chinese company Xiezuobang will write an 800-word piece of propaganda for just $15, or an extended feature for $30. It will even disseminate that article and charge for the strength of the platform on which it publishes. In China, you can also do things such as hire brokers who work with influential people, sometimes celebrities, who will share your fake news for the right price.

If you want an instant 2,500-person following on Twitter, you also can pay for it, the report said. English-language company Quick Follow Now will load you up with Twitter followers for only a few dollars. Pay it $3,150 and it will get your YouTube clip watched a million times and liked 50,000 times. The report gives many examples of Middle Eastern “marketing” outfits that will promote your content, winning you thousands of followers on various social media platforms, and all for a relatively small fee.

The research concludes with a breakdown of the cost to do something such as have a journalist’s career ruined. Using the services available, you could destroy a good writer with your own fabricated news for $55,000. Mexican journalist Alberto Escorcia has been a victim of such fake news.

What about starting a protest, a riot, for that $200,000? According to the report, you have someone start an online debate over a well-known issue, hire someone to write and post fake news around that issue, then have thousands of people like or share that news, and you are on your way.

As for influencing voters in an election, perhaps vote on a referendum, the researchers write, “A 12-month campaign with a budget of $400,000 should be able to at least attract a multitude of people whose perception and belief are aligned with the campaign’s preferred agenda.”

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