So it is once again the end of the day and I'm just now realizing that I haven't posted anything.
I've spent the some of the afternoon and evening responding to several friends and family about Facebook friend requests and messenger contacts that they received from somebody pretending to be me.
I know that I have many friends that did not grow up in the internet era and perhaps are less savvy than those that have. (Yes, I'm calling out you older people that grew up when networking was making personal contact and actually talking to people!)
I know this because when I went to the bogus account to report it, FIFTY EIGHT of my Facebook friends had accepted the friend request in spite of the fact that we are already friends!
If you are one of those friends, go to the cover photo of the fake account and click on the ( ... ) in the lower right corner. Then follow the instructions to report the account. If you are unsure if it is my account or the fake one, my account address is www.facebook.com/magicianary.
Then you'll probably want to unfriend and block the false account and maybe change the password on your account.
I suppose that there is something to be gained by accessing somebody else's friend list. I imagine that we all fall for a scam at some point. Hopefully, not often and not at an expense other than feeling a little foolish at being a little too gullible and trusting.
I would offer the advise that if you receive a social network request to connect with somebody that you are already connected with, it is probably a bogus request. Let them know before taking any action. And you can (and should) make the report about it being a fake account!
I had many messages, posts, texts and a few phone calls to tell me of the infringement on my account.
Thank you!
I should probably change my passwords more often than I do and I should probably make use of better techniques. Unfortunately, since I use my account for ministry contacts, I have more open access than if it was for friends only. I guess I need to set up a separate account for that.
I hope your day was a grand one. Tomorrow is supposed to be another beautiful day. I'll be spending several hours (6+) in the car as I head to southeastern Missouri for a morning service.
John <><
The false account has been deleted.
ReplyDeleteHow awful it happened!
ReplyDelete