Scammers are targeting your Facebook friends!

In this report we would like to once again urgently point out that as a Facebook user you should definitely protect your friends list from prying eyes . The reason for this is actually quite simple! Internet fraudsters exploit public Facebook friends lists to investigate other users and then rip them off in YOUR NAME.

Note: As soon as you add a contact on Facebook, it will be listed under “Friends”. Any other user can look at this list and see which people you are friends with. This is a basic setting, but you should change it immediately.  

And this “basic setting” of the “public friends list” can also be interesting for internet fraudsters!

From the moment they want to rip off YOUR FRIENDS.

Before we explain the rip-off in detail, it's best to follow the following steps:

  1. To do this, click on “Friends” in your profile (under your cover photo).
  2. On the right you will find a pen (Manage).
  3. Now click on “Edit privacy”.
  4. and please set this to “Only me”.

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That's it again!

From now on only YOU can see your friends list. Strangers, especially internet fraudsters, no longer have access to your friends list. This will protect you from loss of image AND your friends from fraudsters.

Fraudsters also take advantage of an open friends list by first copying YOUR profile 1:1 and then searching the public friends list.

Once they have done this, they then write to your friends in YOUR NAME with the profile copy and try to rip off your friends.

How do the scammers operate?

A fraudster will create a new Facebook identity with the same name and the profile picture + cover photo you have previously used , which will then be a copy of your profile.

The internet fraudster then visits your original profile and searches through the victim's entire friends list (that's YOU!), who then receive another friend request, this time from the profile copy . A majority of users accept these requests because they “know” each other.

If your friends confirm this request, the new “old” friend will immediately send them a message asking for their own mobile phone number and the numerical codes, which will be received immediately after they are revealed. Extreme caution is required: these small and inconspicuous numerical codes are worth money!

By passing on the numerical codes, the fraudsters are able to redeem them at payment service providers and thereby charge the victim's (your friend's) cell phone bill. However, simply passing on your cell phone number does not result in a charge to your own cell phone bill.

never to pass on payment or confirmation codes sent via SMS to supposed friends - be it via messenger or social networks

I was ripped off. What can I do?

We recommend that you file a report with the relevant state criminal police office. In view of the increasing number of internet crimes, special units have been set up here. The so-called Cyber ​​Crime Competence Center works in a technically highly professional and networked manner.

Officials are well aware of the Facebook scam with fake profiles. Some organized gangs have already been stopped - including in the area of ​​Facebook profile copies. To do this, the officials are of course dependent on reports and therefore the help of those affected. According to the LKA Saxony, the number of unreported cases of such fraud is still very, very high.


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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )