Once again we are currently warning about identity theft on Facebook. Such an incident can cause enormous damage to affected users. The scam involves copying Facebook profiles that look confusingly similar to the actual profile. The scammers then send a friend request to all contacts and give “flimsy reasons” for the new profile.
If you are generous with your personal data and profile on Facebook, then this will be a target for fraudsters. Criminals use whatever public data and status posts they find from you to set up a fake profile. This looks deceptively similar to your actual profile. A so-called “copied profile” allows scammers to commit fraud on your behalf and defraud your friends list.
The current warning on Facebook!
These are these status posts on Facebook

The status post in full (sic!)
Attention
note for women on Facebook!
Please be careful, there is someone (a woman) who will take your profile picture and name, create a new account on Facebook and ask your friends to add it.
Your friends accept it because they think it's you.
After they accept, she posts what she wants as if it were you. Copy this to your wall.
I DON'T HAVE A NEW FACEBOOK ACCOUNT!!!
I haven't sent any new friend requests
and I'm not sending ANY requests via messenger for phone number, address or anything else!!
Yes, these warnings should be taken seriously!
However, this applies to all profiles on Facebook and not just women's profiles, as mentioned in the chain letter!
This is how the scam works!
What the fraudsters then do with the copied profile
You receive a friend request on Facebook from someone you are already friends with. Sometimes the name is spelled differently in an inconspicuous place. If you accept the request, you will receive a message from the alleged friend in Facebook chat or Messenger.
It says, for example: “ Hello, can you give me your cell phone number, I need it urgently. “You should be careful at this point! Because the scammer copied your real Facebook friend's profile - with a profile picture and cover photo that are public. Those who put a little more effort have also copied older public photos into the wrong profile. So if you quickly click on the name and want to see who is behind it, you may not notice any difference from your real friend.
An indication that something is wrong can also be bad German, as the example of such a chat shows:

Before you reveal your number, contact your real friend in another way - for example by calling him. Or ask the sender of the Facebook message a specific question that only your real friend can actually answer.
On with the scam
If you actually gave away your cell phone number, you will receive an SMS shortly afterwards. This friend also writes this on Facebook in your chat. The SMS contains a numerical code that you should also tell the “friend”. And this is where the trap closes. The code is used by the fraudster to initiate a payment that will be deducted from your cell phone bill or prepaid card!
It works like this: The fraudster sits at a PC, orders something and needs a cell phone number to pay. Then he will state yours if you have told him them. To ensure that no random string of numbers has been entered as the cell phone number, the payment service sends an SMS with a code to the number. That's why the scammer asks you about it. Only when the code is entered when ordering does it cost money - in this case yours if you actually gave away the code. This will then be paid via your cell phone bill or prepaid card. In this case, the cell phone number alone is not enough to rip you off money.
How can I protect myself? What should I do?
► Optimize your Facebook settings!
1. FIRST LOOK FOR A COPY OF YOUR ACCOUNT
Use Facebook SEARCH and search for your name. Your friends should also support you in the search, because the scammers usually block the ORIGINAL profile and so it may be that your profile exists twice but you cannot find it. If you or one of your friends have discovered a copy, REPORT the copied profile immediately.
2. HIDE YOUR FRIENDS LIST
Once an account has set its friends list to “Only me,” it is no longer of interest to internet fraudsters. To do this, click on “Friends” in your profile (under the cover photo). On the right side you will find these 3 dots in front of “…” and please edit your “privacy”. Set “Who can see your friends list?” to “Only me” here
3. IF POSSIBLE, NEVER POST “PUBLICLY”
EVERYONE doesn't always have to know everything. It's enough if your FRIENDS find out something. You can set the setting for this directly in the status post. This applies to pure text posts, but also photos and videos.
4. PLEASE ALSO MAKE THE FOLLOWING SETTINGS:
Content, contacts and searches
► Who can see your future posts: “Friends”
► Who can send friend requests: “Everyone” or “Friends of Friends”.
Our recommendation: “Friends of friends” ► Do you want other search engines to link to your timeline: REMOVE check mark, limit visibility
► Who can post to your timeline: “Friends”
► Do you want to check posts in which you have been tagged, before they appear on your profile? “Enabled”
► Who can see tagged posts: Our recommendation: “Friends”
► Who can see what others post on your timeline: Our recommendation: “Friends”
► User tagging suggestions: “Enabled”
► Combine your actions with ads: “ No one"
Also read: Identity theft on the Internet. Emergency addresses if your profile has been hacked.
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Notes:
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