Did you think Facebook friend request scams disappeared? Think again! It turns out these Facebook scams are still going strong. The scammer might disguise themself as someone you know or have a name similar to someone you know. That is how they will get you to fall for the scam, and how they could potentially control your account.
What Is A Facebook Friend Request Scam?
The scam is affecting users all over the world and has compromised many Facebook accounts already. The scammer will clone your account or a friend’s account and send out friend requests to everyone on your friend list to make you think it is a real account. Once you accept the friend request is when the scammer will address their attack with a follow-up Facebook message. The account will have similar pictures to the user’s real account, making it hard to tell if the user has created a new account, or maybe it’s just a duplicate friend request. If you have already recently received a friend request from that account, it is a good sign that you should not be receiving another request. Please do not accept these Facebook users if you have already received a request.
How To Protect Your Account
With over 50+ million people on the social media app, it is essential to know how you can stay protected while using it. There are ways that you can eliminate being the target from one of these attacks.
– Adjust Who Can View your Friend List
You can change who can view your friend list by accessing settings on your Facebook account. Once in settings, locate the Privacy tab and select edit next to “Who Can See My Friend List.” You can change that to only me to eliminate your friend list from being displayed on your profile.
– Contact Friend Directly
If you notice that you are receiving a new friend request with the same profile picture as one of your current friends, it would not be a bad idea to reach out to them. This way, you can find out if the person sent the request or not.
– Use An Social Media Search Service
You can check to see if the person sending the friend request is real by using online background checking services like Kiwi Searches. These sites can help you locate information about the person, including their real social media accounts.
– Block or Report The Account
If you are able to tell that this clearly a fake account, you want to block or report them to prevent further attacks from that profile. To report or block an account, you need to locate the three grey dots in the top right of the person’s profile. It will direct you to a page that should appear with Block, Report Profile, and a few other features. Click on report or block to prevent any future contact with the profile.
Don’t Be Affected By The Request Scam
Using these tips above will not guarantee that you will be completely protected from a friend request scam. These tips will make sure that your profile is more secure so that if a scammer does try to scam one of your friends or family members, you will be able to tell these scammers goodbye. Do not fall for the Facebook friend request scam and keep your account protected.
