Facebook friend request scam
- by Emilio Sims
- in Money
- — Oct 9, 2018
A new hoax spreading fast on Facebook reads in part,"Hi..."
A Facebook official said: 'We've heard that some people are seeing posts or messages about accounts being cloned on Facebook.
Did you get a message from a Facebook friend telling you that your account has been cloned?
As CBS News reported, the viral message asks Facebook users to hold their finger on the message for an extended period of time until a button with an option to forward the message appears. If you find cloned accounts, report them to Facebook.
Users receive a message from a friend that says "Hi..." But that's not what's happening here, according to Facebook-there's apparently been no uptick in fake accounts since the messages started making the rounds. Apparently this is a hoax and I am getting SPAMMED with them.
Facebook was not immediately available for comment.
Officials say forwarding the message only makes it worse.
When accounts are cloned, hackers are able to steal photos and personal information by creating a second Facebook profile and pretending they're the original user.
The best way to avoid being duped: Ignore it. Delete it.
Still, what's unusual is that people are (perhaps absentmindedly) sharing a message that includes the words "I actually got another friend request from you", even when they received no such fraudulent friend request.
If you think you're a victim of cloning, you should check and see if there is a duplicate of your account.
And people still do get hacked.
However, a recent Facebook security breach impacting 50 million users is very real.
