Last post I wrote about a Facebook scam that used a Facebook Profile to send out messages that contained a bad link in it. This link would act like a virus. It affected many accounts and caused some mild concern. This time I want to warn you about duplicate Facebook Profiles used to scam your friends. Yes, it can happen to you.

A good friend of mine just had someone duplicate his Facebook Profile to send out friend requests and messages. This person engaged the friends of the real account for the sole purpose of extorting money from the unsuspecting friends. The story Could go like this… “I ran into some bad luck and I just need some cash to make it to my next pay cheque” or “My son just got ill and I need some cash to help with the bills.”

The original Facebook account user was alerted by his friends when they asked him if that was really him sending the messages. Remember that this was not an account that had been hacked and taken over. The attacker saw the original account and duplicated the information with the sole intent of fooling friends. Some of the original Facebook friends were fooled and they connected to this fake account.

So what can we learn from this? Here are a few thoughts for you to consider:

  1. Do a search in Facebook to see if there is a duplicate account set up in your name. You need to monitor Facebook for fraudulent activity on a regular basis.
  2. If you are asked to be friends with someone you are already friends with, suspect that something might be wrong. Do not just friend that account. Go to the account and see what details can be seen. Has the account just been recently set up? Look at the profile URL ID for the account. Check the original friends profile URL ID by visiting their real Facebook user account. In the above example, the profile URL ID’s were different.
  3. If you suspect that someone is impersonating a real Facebook account, alert the originally Facebook profile owner and alert Facebook. You can find the info to do so by using the Facebook Help section.
  4. Do not divulge personal information to the fake account.
  5. Contact the real person with a valid connection method that you know is not fake: like email or phone.

You will have to be very diligent when you are using Facebook. I want to encourage you to use the right privacy settings for your comfort level and your security. You should also strongly consider using the Facebook two-step verification process for your Facebook Profile. This will require user to log in with six digit code from Facebook that comes either as an email or as a text message. Remember that you are responsible for your own safety. You cannot take a wait and see approach. You must protect yourself online.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Use the Contact Us page in the Company Menu above.