You have got a new friend request! Duplicate Facebook Profile Fraud

This is one of the most frequent alerts nowadays we get on the social media platform. This is how we get connected with our friends on social media so nothing new in this. But when you get a friend request from a very known friend who is already connected with you for a long time...?? The first thought that will come to your mind that your friend might have forgotten the password or complete profile hence new profile is created and the request has come and without thinking much, just accept such a request.

I also got similar requests in the last few days. I can not share their names who’s request came to me as some of them are very well known people. But what surprised me that how come I got the same person’s request with whom I am connected for many years and we are in very active touch on Facebook. Before even I start thinking, a message popped up on Facebook messenger from that friend asking how are you? His second line was just a direct request to send money immediately as he is in serious need :) I asked to let's talk over the phone, he refused to talk stating he is with someone !! Shared his mobile no and asked me to send money through either PayTM, BHIM, or any UPI application. When I asked I don’t have any UPI app, I can do only net banking, he insisted ( and also explained to me why UPI is faster than net banking :) :) :) … Unfortunately (for the fraudster), I shared his mobile no. with the relevant team in a bank and his account was frozen. 

So, many of you must have faced this problem and I have seen such posts on social media that someone has hacked Facebook profile and asking for money. Though this is a little old technique, fraudsters have relaunched it with some modifications. 

Firstly they look at the profile where a bunch of photographs is available along with some basic information. They also can see a list of your friends. That's good enough to create a fake profile. Once a profile is created, they just start to send friend requests to all the friends in your list and the moment people accept the request, the same conversation starts.. I am in a medical emergency, please send money on XXXXXX No. Even 1 out of 50 friends sends money, their job is done. 

So how they get access to your photos and other information? It is not a hack in your account, but the settings of your profile are done by yourself. Your profile settings allow anyone to search and send a friend request to you on Facebook. You upload photographs which allow anyone to see since you have kept some setting like “public” or can be seen by “friends of friends”. Remember, you know your friends but don’t know who are their friends! 

There are few important actions one can take as a precaution. First, change your profile settings and make your profile in “locked” mode which means no one can see anything about you unless he or she becomes friends with you on Facebook. This will largely safeguard you from this kind of fraud. Secondly, if you come across any such fake profile, open that fake profile page and look for 3 dots at extreme right just below the name of the person on the profile. Click on 3 dots and you will get an option of “ Find support or report profile”. Now, select “pretending to be someone” and select a real friend’s profile and submit it. Facebook is prompt to bring down such a fake profile in a few minutes. This is just a social engineering trick which can be easily avoided if people keep some extra vigil while accepting such friend request and more importantly sending money to unknown mobile no.