What to Do When Your Friend’s Facebook Account It’s Hacked or Cloned

Discover the essential steps to take when your friend’s Facebook account falls victim to hacking or cloning. Learn how to identify cloned accounts on Facebook and effectively respond to suspicions of a compromised or duped profile. Protecting your social media presence and personal information has never been more crucial.

What Are Cloned Facebook Accounts and How Do They Operate?

Cloned Facebook accounts are deceptive scams that have persisted for years. These scams involve fraudsters using publicly accessible information from your online accounts to fabricate an account in your name. By mimicking your profile picture, cover photo, date of birth, bio, education, or workplace details, scammers attempt to deceive your friends into revealing personal information, engaging in scams, or unknowingly aiding the perpetrator.

How to Identify Cloned Facebook Accounts

Detecting a cloned account may be challenging since scammers invest considerable effort into making them appear genuine. However, there is one reliable indicator you can use to identify a cloned account: duplicate friend requests. If you or your friends receive friend requests from someone already on their friends list, it is a strong indication of a cloned Facebook account. Facebook’s platform prevents sending multiple friend requests to the same person, making it evident that a scammer is behind the duplicate request.

Steps to Safeguard a Hacked or Duped Friend’s Account

When you suspect a cloned account, it is crucial to act swiftly. Follow these essential steps to mitigate the situation:

1. Locate the Real Account Owner:
   Before reporting the suspicious account to Facebook, reach out to the original account owner to confirm if they created a secondary profile. Use the Facebook Search function or find the original account on your friends list. If the account owner has indeed created a new profile, check if they made an announcement on their primary page. If not, contact them directly through Facebook Messenger to notify them of the cloned account and potential unauthorized use of their personal information.
2. Reporting a Hacked or Duped Account on Facebook:
   To report a fake account on Facebook, follow these instructions based on your device:

• Open Facebook on your computer or your smartphone.
• Locate and access the profile page of the cloned account.
• Click on “More” (represented by three horizontal dots) > “Find support or report.”
  
• Select an appropriate reason from the report menu, such as “Pretending to be someone” or “Fake account.”
  
• Follow the subsequent steps to submit the report.

Reporting Compromised Accounts in Facebook Messenger

If you are using Facebook Messenger as a standalone app, you can report a friend’s compromised account within the messaging platform. Here’s how:

1. In Messenger, locate the conversation with the fake profile.
2. Tap the information icon in the top right corner.
3. Scroll down and select “Report.”
   
4. Choose the reason for reporting, such as “Pretending to be someone.”
5. Specify whether the impersonation is directed at you, a friend, or a celebrity.
6. Confirm your report submission.

Essential Tips to Safeguard Against Hacking

Share these privacy and security tips with your friends to prevent their accounts from falling victim to hacking or cloning:

1. Hide Your Facebook Friends List:
   By concealing your friends list, you can deter hackers from targeting individuals on your account. Access your Facebook account settings, navigate to “Settings & Privacy” > “Privacu checkup” .
   
2. 
   click on “How people can find and contact you” > “Who can see your friends list?” Choose “Only me” to keep your friends list private.

   

3. Make Your Facebook Account Private:
   Take an extra precautionary step by setting your entire Facebook account to private. Adjust your privacy settings accordingly to restrict unauthorized access.
4. Check Your Facebook Security Settings:
   Strengthen your Facebook account’s security by reviewing the security and login section. Enable features like alerts for unrecognized logins and two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication adds an additional layer of security by requiring a unique code sent to your phone for login attempts from unrecognized devices.

When you discover a hacked or cloned Facebook account belonging to a friend, swift action is crucial. Report the account to Facebook, notify the account owner, and take measures to protect yourself and your friends from potential harm. By following these steps and implementing proper security measures, you can maintain a safer online presence on social media platforms.