It is often claimed that it is “hackers” who crack users’ profiles. But this has nothing to do : these fraudsters simply copy all the data and images from profiles that present themselves too openly.
The friends of the copied profile are then contacted, often in poor German, asking for the cell phone number to which a code should be sent. These codes are then worth cash for the fraudsters: They can then use the code they receive from the friend to shop to their heart's content using the friend's smartphone. We have described such a case in detail here .
But links to dubious websites are also sent. The friends of the copied profile are often unsuspecting, after all the links come from a “real acquaintance”.
Important: ask!
Before you accept the friend request from new profile, do your research: write to the "old" profile and ask if he really has a new profile! It often quickly turns out that someone has copied the profile.
Not every profile can be copied
Profiles that can be copied must have certain characteristics so that they can be copied credibly:
Based on the points above you can already see what you should consider or change in your profile:
It's best to switch your friends list to "only me", don't post all posts publicly, set your private photos to "only friends" or "only me", as well as your interests or origin.
What you can do if you discover a fake profile
To do this, simply go to the fake profile and click on the three dots at the top right of the profile and click on “Get support or report content”.
The following window then opens:
There you select the item “Fake Account” or “Imitation” and click “Send”.
Please also point this out to your friend whose profile was copied! Of course, this person should also report the copy of their account. However, this is sometimes not possible: Many fraudsters are clever enough to block the actual profile so that the person copied does not discover this copied profile when searching for a name.
What to do if a copied profile “ripped me off”?
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 Cybercrime Competence Center works in a 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.
Facebook Note: If you no longer have a Facebook account or no longer have access to your account, you can still report a page or account that is impersonating someone else, then fill out the contact form to report a fraudulent page or account . report a fraudulent account . It is also possible to report impersonating profiles or pages on Messenger. You can learn more about this in the Messenger Help section
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 )