A friend’s strange message
Now that we’ve clarified how a friend request might be a scam, let’s talk about Facebook messages. Don’t trust every message you get, even if it comes from a close friend, because hackers can easily break into someone’s account, steal their password and data and then send messages to their close friends.
They will come up with all kinds of situations. For example, if your friend is messaging you that he lost his wallet while being on vacation and asks you for money, don’t be so quick to believe them. Of course, my example may sound like an obvious trap, but sometimes they make up very good stories that will convince you to send them money if you’re not thinking straight.
If you have your doubts when receiving a message like this, call your friend or get in touch on another social media platform just to be sure. Better safe than sorry. “Ringtones sound different in America than in other countries, so you’ll be able to figure out if you’re friend is traveling, even if they don’t pick up the phone,” says Levin.
“Is this you?” scam
This scam was very popular a few years ago. Whether you know the person who sends you that message or not, it might be tempting to click on the link just because you want to see what’s going on.
These messages might sound something like this “OMG look what they’re saying about you” or “Is this you? Lol” and you have to click that link if you want to see more. “It’s really about engaging your curiosity and getting your curious nature to say, ‘I want to know,’” says Velasquez. Don’t click the link!
This is one of the most popular Facebook scams, and usually you receive a link to a video from a friend, but whatever you do, just don’t click it, because usually, the link is a virus or browser hijacker.
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