The Latest Viral Facebook Hoax and How to Protect Your Account
You see it at least once a week. One of your friends posts a message that warns they've been hacked and warns others not to accept a friend request or believe the messages someone else is posting on their behalf. This month yet another Facebook hoax is spreading like wildfire.
The message says this: "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!"
In other words, it says the sender got a duplicate friend request that may indicate a problem. It encourages the reader to forward the message to friends. It's meant to look like a cloning scam, but it's more like a chain letter.
What's a Cloning Scam?
A Facebook cloning scam is when someone steals a person's profile picture and other information and use that to create a separate or "clone" account that person doesn't control. The scammer sends friend requests to everyone in the victim's circle and they often accept. At that point they can act as the person they cloned to steal personal information or distribute false information.
What to Do if You Receive the Message
Don't do anything. Just ignore the message and move on. If you're worried about cloning, search for yourself through Facebook and if you find duplicates, report it to Facebook Help.