FACEBOOK SCAM
Facebook users are being warned that a scam is circulating in which users receive a personal message that appears to be from a friend warning them that they received “another friend request from you,” according to the Ulster County District Attorney’s Division of Consumer Affairs.
One variation of the message reads:
“Hi. I actually got another friend request from you yesterday…which I ignored so you may want to check your account. Hold your finger on the message until the forward button appears…then hit forward and all the people you want to forward to…I had to do the people individually. Good luck!”
Other variations of the message are also making the rounds, including one that begins, “Heads up!! Almost every account is being cloned. Your picture and your name are used to create a new Facebook account (they don’t need your password to do this).”
Experts say the messages are part of a long-running hoax. No variation of “Got another friend request from you” message should be passed on to other users, and the claims in the message shouldn’t be believed. If one of the messages is received, users should simply ignore and delete the message. As an additional precaution, users can also change their privacy settings. The best way to keep your Facebook account from really getting cloned is to hide your friends list, according to tech experts. Instructions for how to do so can be found on Facebook’s Your Profiles and Settings link.
Consumer Affairs can be reached at 340-3260.