5 scams on Facebook that can start with a simple friend request

3. Identity theft

The identity theft scam on Facebook can start with a friend request from a stranger or a friend request from a cloned Facebook account that appears to be from a friend.

Assuming your Facebook account is “friends only” – which it definitely should be – those on the outside looking in shouldn’t be able to see very much about you; this protects you from the likes of identity thieves looking to glean information from your profile so they can pretend to be you elsewhere.

Identity thieves will also know that many are cavalier about their privacy and who they accept as friends. As such, such thieves will send out large amounts of friend requests to see who accepts. When someone accepts, the identity thief has been let into the “inner circle” and can scour that persons account. They can gather seemingly innocuous information about that person such as their birthday, the city where they live, the names of friends and family; they can then use that information to commit identity fraud.

Avoiding this is simple; lock down your Facebook account and never accept strangers. Those who engage in this type of scam will do so using a dummy Facebook account, so if the account that sent the friend request has little or no mutual friends and a limited history on their account, then this is a big red flag.

If the scammer is using a cloned account that appears to be from a friend, always make sure you verify any suspicious friend requests (for example, you are already friends and the request appears to be from a second account) by verifying they are legitimate with your friends first.

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2. Malware or phishing scammers

This scam can start with a friend request from a stranger or a friend request from a cloned Facebook account.

If you accept a stranger on Facebook and they begin posting links to external websites – either through chat or onto their timelines that subsequently appear on your newsfeed – then there is a good chance that such a scammer is posting links to either malicious websites.

Such websites may try and install malware onto your computer, or they may be designed to steal your login credentials by disguising themselves as a login page of a service you use.

Obviously the best way to avoid such scams is to avoid adding strangers, or friends acting suspiciously (see point 4, cloning scams.) But be especially careful if anyone you’ve just added on Facebook seems keen to get you to click on a link that takes you outside of Facebook.

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1. The lottery scam

The lottery scam can begin with a friend request from either a cloned account that appears to be from a friend, or from someone identifying themselves as working on behalf of a lottery.

If after adding a friend request you’re told you’ve won a lottery or a large, expensive prize, then you’re probably encountering the lottery scam, which is a type of advance fee fraud.

This is where a victim is told they’ve won a large prize, but when claiming the prize, the victim is told to first pay a much smaller “advance” fee to obtain it. The victim is promised that their larger prize will more than cover the advance fee. But the large prize doesn’t exist, and the victim is left out of pocket.

In this case, a Facebook account you’ve just accepted may tell you you’ve won a lottery or sweepstake and provide instructions on how to claim the prize. When the victim follows the instructions, they are told to provide an advance fee.

If this happens, simply know that you should never pay a fee to obtain a prize, and you can’t win a lottery you didn’t enter. Simply ignore the instructions and remove the Facebook account you accepted a friend request from.

Remember, always be cautious when accepting friends on Facebook, even if they appear to have come from someone you know. Watch out for the common red flags we discuss above, and never give out any personal information, money or click any links if you’re unsure.