Facebook Account Cloning is a simple trick, but it is easy to fall for. A Cloned Account is one in which someone duplicates your photo, date of birth, interests, and other public information from the current page. Now, you will know what to do when your Facebook account is cloned.
Scammers seek to mislead your friends into giving them money or other vital information by establishing cloned pages. Modern teens can readily recognize clones, but what should be done for the elder generation because cloning may do serious harm: fraudsters can obtain passwords from bank cards or other social networks.
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Facebook Account Cloning
Account cloning is neither a hack nor an exploit; rather, it is the product of devious fraudsters utilizing publicly available information to deceive your friends. Pretending to be you, the cloned account may message your friends, claiming they need money to deal with an emergency, such as getting robbed and requiring money to return home. You may believe that your friends are too intelligent to fall for such a fraud, but because these requests originate from you, they may respond without thinking.
First, you must understand how to spot cloned accounts. Furthermore, fraudsters do not stop at simply stealing money. They are able to:
- To get access to the device, send malicious messages.
- Manipulate friends’ emotions and entice other vital information.
- Use bogus websites to allow your friends to shop there, allowing fraudsters to get credit card information.
- Posting indecent content will harm your reputation.
How can you tell if your Facebook account is cloned?
To see if your Facebook account is cloned, search for your name. However, you will very certainly come across people with the same name as yours who use it legally. As a result, if you are looking for clones, you should not instantly write to them and tell them that they are fraudsters; simply read the material and look at the photo to determine whether it is a clone.
There is a simpler method to learn how to clone a page; these are your friends. Before sending a message to your friend, the scammer will add him as a friend. If your friends are aware that you already have a page, they will most likely notify you of any questionable behavior. Even if your friends add the cloned page as a friend, fraudsters may easily fool you by sending spam messages like this: Click the link and lend money. You may even invite your friends ahead of time to report any false messages sent by your clones.
What does a user do when their Facebook Account is cloned?
Facebook is very rigorous about duplicated pages and makes every effort to prevent this from happening. However, if you come across a cloned account, please notify Facebook help right away. To resolve the issue, create a bogus profile and follow the steps below:
- Find this symbol “…” in the top right corner of your profile page.
- Choose the option to “Leave a comment or report this profile.”
- Then, you will be given instructions to describe how the account scammed another individual.
After you have complained about the cloned account, publish a statement on your page that says something like, “There is a cloned account; do not accept it as a friend, do not reply to messages, and do not click the links.” As a result, you will be able to safeguard your reputation and your friends against fraudsters.
How to avoid attempted Account Cloning?
To avoid someone from cloning your account, first, hide your friend list from outsiders. Scammers will exploit your friend list to steal money and manipulate you in various ways. However, if your list is concealed, fraudsters will have a more difficult time locating your friends who fall into their traps. Follow these instructions to hide your friend list.
- Log in to the Facebook website.
- Locate the triangle icon in the top right corner and choose “Settings.”
- Locate the “Privacy” option in the left column.
- Then, there will be a section where you may pick who can write to you and see your friend list.
- Select individuals who will be able to see your list. That can be your friends or just you.
How to Report a Facebook Account or Page that Has Been Cloned
If you come across a the issue of a friend’s Facebook account is cloned it is best to report the abuse. Go to the impersonating profile or Page, click the ‘…’ below the cover phone. Click ‘Report profile’, and follow the on-screen instructions for impersonation to file a report.
see also: Why is Multifactor Authentication Important to Keep Your Data Safe?, Phishing – How to Avoid Being a Victim
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