Scare Tactic

 

There are people on Facebook that starts rumors and/or scare tactics. They either want to get many likes and shares, slow Facebook down, or scare you so they create a post to scare you of a scam. However the post is the actual scam. People will see the scam and then share it thinking it is valid. The hacker is either trying to bog down Facebook or trying to get numerous shares.

Here is one of many messages that is going around Facebook

WARNING EVERYBODY. New hackers on Facebook and what they write is aggression from you and it's insulting. It's really nasty and it appears to come from you. You do not see it, but your friends do. One result of this can be that you will be deleted on your friends' list. I just want to say, if you get something that is offensive, malicious, vulgar, etc, it is ABSOLUTELY NOT from me! Copy this and let your friends know. If you get anything like this from me, please tell me and report it immediately to Facebook. Apparently it can come in messages too. PLEASE DO NOT share! 'COPY AND PASTE'

Here is another version of it

There's a new hack on Facebook. Between the comments of your contacts, it includes a hurtful phrase coming from you. It's very inappropriate, and it appears as though you have written it. You do not see it, but your friends do. This situation can create many misunderstandings. So, to my contacts, if something I write seems shocking or gives you pause, it didn't come from me and I would appreciate you letting me know. Thank you! Copy and paste. Do not share

 

The posts above (in blue) is an actual post that is going around Facebook. There is numerous other versions of this floating around also.

This is not a valid issue. Here is the reasons why

1. Anything that is posted by you is visible to you, even if your account is hacked.

2. For the person to post as you, they would have to hack into your account. This is possible, however you would still see their posts.

3. The only way someone can post from you without you knowing about it, is for them to create a separate account.

   1. When they create a second account, they will use your name (but it will have a different email address than yours), they may even steal your photos and information to make the second account look valid

   2. This account will not have access to your friends unless the the person requests your friends to accept this page onto their friend's list.

      1. The hacker may look on your account and send a friends request to your friends.

         1. Some friends will think you had deleted them from your friends list and accept the friends request

         2. If your friend accepts this account on their friend's list, then the hacker can post things without you seeing it because it will be a separate account. If your friend looks on their friend's list, it will show two accounts of a person. The valid account and the fake one.  Click here for more information

Tip: it would be a good idea to do a search on your name periodically to verify a second account has not been created of you.

Tip: When you get a friends request, even someone you don't recognize, always check to see if they person is already on your friends list before accepting.

 

If you determine that there is another account passing themself off as you, report it to Facebook. Change your password and run a scan with your anti-virus software. It would be good to run an anti-spyware software also. There is plenty of good anti-spyware software on the net. Many of them have free and paid versions. One of them is Malwarebytes.

 

Click here for more information about scare tactics