Hyderabad: Are you sure there is only one you have on Facebook? Better check. Many people nowadays do their own name on Facebook, not as part of ego browsing, but to find out if there are imitators with a fake profile of it.
While identity theft on social media, i.e. creating a fake profile on someone’s name for side effects, including fraudulent money, may not be a new way of working, several Hyderabadis have recently been the target of this on Facebook.
From leading Tollywood lyricist Chaitanya Prasad to actor and photographer Kommidi Vishwender Reddy, apart from several others from different societies, were victims and posted warnings asking them to be on their guard with friend requests from profiles exactly like the original lyk. “My friends warned me that a fake account had been created in my name. “My friends received friend requests and messages from that account, and although they initially accepted the friend request and thought it was me, they became suspicious when they received a message asking for Rs 12,000,” says Chaitanya. Prasad, who immediately posted screenshots of the messages, urged his friends and followers to remain vigilant.
Dr PSM Rao, a city economist and YouTuber, also faced the same problem earlier this month. ‘My daughter called me one morning and told me that there was a perfect replica of my Facebook account. That day, an acquaintance also called me and told me that he had received a message from that profile asking for money, “says Dr. Rao, adding:” I immediately reported the profile to Facebook and also posted it. Then more people started telling me about receiving money requests from ‘me’. ”
A common aspect of these fake profiles is that it goes through the original person’s profile and creates a perfect replica profile before targeting certain individuals from their profiles that they are likely to trust. They also add a sense of urgency to make it compelling, as Vishwender Reddy says: ‘My friend’s son received a message from a fake profile of me and the profile said I’m stuck in an airport have and urgently need money to pay excise. . The boy believed this and was about to send money, but luckily he called his father to verify it and stopped. ‘
His daughter’s account was also hacked and when he responded by communicating with the person by phone, the scammer immediately blocked his number and then created another profile in his name before sending abusive messages to all his friends as if was sent by him. “I sent a message in which I urge all my friends to ignore the messages and not accept requests from someone they do not know,” says Vishwender Reddy.
What you can do
- Close your Facebook profile to ensure that no one can copy your photos
- Hide your friends list so only you can see it
- Only accept and verify requests from people you know
- If you receive a new request from an old acquaintance, verify it with them
- Do not blindly overpay money through Google Pay or other UPI systems
Source: Telangana Today