Getting friend requests from fake accounts is a common issue many Facebook users face. These fake accounts are often created by scammers and spammers to send phishing links or spammy content. Accepting friend requests from such accounts can compromise your privacy and security on Facebook.
Here are some tips on how to identify fake accounts sending you friend requests and stop them:
1. Check their profile information
Fake accounts often have very little information in their profiles. They may not have a profile picture, posts, or any other personal details filled out. If a profile looks empty or unfinished, it’s a major red flag that it could be fake.
Some signs to watch out for:
- No profile photo
- No posts or content
- Very few friends
- Profile created recently
Real Facebook accounts will have detailed personal information and look complete. They’ll often have a profile photo, posts, friends and other signs of genuine activity.
2. Check mutual friends and connections
Most friend requests from strangers or fake accounts won’t have any mutual friends or connections with you. On the other hand, real connection requests often come from people you may know indirectly through friends or networks.
Before accepting a request, check how many mutual friends or connections you may have with the person. If there are zero overlaps, that’s a clue the account reaching out could be fake.
3. Watch for suspicious account activity
Scammers often mass produce fake accounts and send out tons of automated connection requests. If you notice an account sending you generic messages or repeat requests, it’s likely a fake.
Signs of inauthentic activity:
- Generic message copy-pasted to multiple people
- Repeated friend requests if ignored
- Suspicious links in messages
Real people will send personalized messages and won’t harass you with repeated contact attempts if you don’t respond.
4. Check their URL and profile category
Scammers often forget to fill out the profile category section, or list themselves as things like “blogger” or “musician” to appear real. But clicking on the listed website often leads nowhere.
If a profile has a URL that’s just a bunch of random numbers and letters, or links to a shady looking website, it’s likely a fake account.
5. Use Facebook’s tool to report fake accounts
If you’re confident an account that sent you a friend request is fake, report it to Facebook:
- Click on the profile of the fake account
- Select “Find Support or Report Profile” from the menu
- Choose “Pretending to be someone else”
- Select “This is a fake account”
- Submit your report to Facebook
Facebook reviews all user reports and will disable accounts confirmed to be fake. This helps keep the platform more secure.
6. Turn on extra account security features
Enabling some of Facebook’s security features can help prevent fake accounts from interacting with you.
- Login approvals: Requires entering a code to login from unrecognized devices.
- Login alerts: Sends you notifications when someone tries accessing your account.
- Identity confirmation: Verifies your identity with codes or documents if suspicious activity is detected.
These make it harder for scammers to compromise your real account, even if you accidentally accept a request.
7. Adjust your privacy settings
Customizing your privacy settings helps limit who can see your profile info or send you requests in the first place:
- Set your account to “Friends only” to approve posts and tags.
- Restrict old posts from public view if needed.
- Limit who can send you friend requests.
- Disable search engines from indexing your profile.
Scammers look for publicly visible profiles to target. Locking down your privacy settings foils this tactic.
8. Install a social media account firewall
Using a social media firewall extension or app makes it easy to block fake accounts automatically.
These tools use AI to detect signs of inauthentic profiles and prevent them from contacting you. Some popular options include:
- Social Armor
- TruePeopleSearch
- Socially Map
Automated blocking saves you time manually reviewing suspicious requests.
9. Be wary of new friend requests after posting viral content
Scammers look for people posting viral or popular content and target them with fake friend requests to ride their coattails.
If you notice an uptick in strange friend requests after sharing something that got lots of engagement, be extra cautious about vetting new connections.
10. Don’t accept requests from modeling agencies or talent scouts
Fake modeling and talent scouts trawl Facebook for attractive people to target. They send convincing messages asking you to apply to join their agency.
But it’s just a ploy to build a connection for eventual phishing attempts or recruitment into shady industries. Verify any agencies contacting you through proper channels before engaging.
11. Watch out for bots
Sophisticated bot networks are used to automate sending huge volumes of friend requests to random people. Their activity patterns make them relatively easy to spot.
Signs of bots:
- Accounts have starting following you in quick succession
- Similar-looking profile pictures across accounts
- Profile names contain random strings of numbers/letters
- No personalized messages, just friend requests
Use bulk reporting options if you notice a swarm of bot accounts targeting your profile.
12. Stay vigilant after major news events or tragedies
Scammers prey on people’s emotional vulnerability during major events or tragedies. They send fake requests posing as relief workers, journalists, or relatives of victims.
Examples of events exploited by scammers:
- Natural disasters
- Mass shootings
- Celebrity deaths
- Global pandemics
Scrutinize any new connections originating from regions or topics of recent news events.
Conclusion
Getting inundated by fake friend requests on Facebook is annoying and raises security concerns. But being vigilant about analyzing account activity, enabling security features, customizing your privacy settings and reporting fakes helps minimize the issue.
Staying aware of common tactics scammers use to generate fake accounts also makes it quicker to identify and block them. With some consistent housekeeping, you can stem the tide of unwanted friend requests.