How to Tell if Your Facebook Account Has Been Cloned
Hi, I am name is Niel Patel and I am social media expert. Today I'm going to tell you what to do if your Facebook account has been cloned. While I was walking towards the market, I get a text from my best friend. He got a message from me that seemed weird. And I soon realized that my Facebook account is cloned. I took few precautions, did some changes, and recovered and secured my account again. In this article below, I am going to explain what to do when your Facebook account has been cloned and how to report a cloned Facebook account
What Is a Cloned Facebook Accounts?
Unlike hacking, Facebook cloning is copying your account, then pretending that is you. Without gaining access to your real Facebook account.
Cloning a Facebook account or Facebook cloned account is a simple trick or hoax. It's a way to create a Facebook account of any person and act as an original account. To clone an account on Facebook is easy as ABC. You just need to know some basic information about the account you want to clone. In other words, A Facebook cloned account is a replica of your account that utilizes your profile photo and other publicly available information to dupe your friends into giving up their personal information. These clones may appear to be harmless pranks, yet they can inflict serious harm. A cloned Facebook account could persuade your friends to transfer money, acquire passwords or other personal information, or trick them into falling for other frauds. Most of the time a Facebook cloned account to used to defame the individual.
How to Clone Facebook Account
Facebook Account cloning isn't a hack or an exploit; it's simply the result of devious scammers taking advantage of your publicly available information to deceive your pals. Pretending to be you, the cloned account could send a message to your friend requesting money to deal with an emergency, such as getting mugged and needing money to get home. You may believe that your pals are too intelligent to fall for such a con, but because these requests originate from you, they may respond without hesitation. Maybe scammers can forward spam or adults messages in the purpose to defame you.
This is why you should be concerned about Facebook account cloning. Whether it's your account or a friend's that's been cloned, this "prank" has serious consequences.
How Do I Know If My Facebook Account Has Been Cloned
- The question is what to do if your Facebook account is cloned? The answer is to identify first that your account has been cloned. It's impossible to cure without knowing the desease.
- If a friend contacts you to inquire if you have created a new account, this is the most obvious evidence that you have been cloned. This indicates that someone has constructed a mirror duplicate of your current account and is contacting your contacts.
- The first step is to know if your FB account is cloned. Search on FB to find if there are any other profiles showing information belongs to you, but it's more probable that someone else on Facebook shares your name honestly.
- While you can use this to hunt for duplicates, keep in mind that not every result will be someone cloning your account maliciously. There are hundreds of FB account with the same name, so verify other information also. Information like Bio, DoB, Address, Schooling, Pictures, Friend List, etc.
- Also, try different spellings of your name, as some of them may use a name that sounds close to yours.
For Example,
Your name is "Niel Patel"
Also, search for "Neil Patel"
- It's also possible that the scammers have already blocked you and you won't be able to locate it when you search, so ask your friends to look for you.
You're far more likely to find that your FB account has been cloned after the search when your Facebook friends observe strange behavior from you. A FB cloner must first make a friend request from their cloned account before they can swindle your pals, which can raise red flags for the security-conscious. If they accept your friend request without thinking, they may begin to receive communications that may not be from you. Your account may have been cloned if a buddy informs you that they've received a friend request or a questionable message.
What to do When Your Facebook Account Has Been Cloned
What to do when your Facebook account has been cloned
Facebook doesn't allow accounts to impersonate others, so if you find a clone account you should report it to Facebook. Just go to the cloned profile and:
How do I report a Facebook account or Page that's pretending to be me or someone else?
If you have a Facebook account and want to report a profile or Page:
- Go to the profile or Page of the impersonating account.
- If you can't find it, try searching for the name used on the profile or Page or asking your friends if they can send you a link to it.
- Click three dots or menu icon below the cover photo.
- If you're reporting a Page, selectFind Support or Report Page. If you're reporting a profile, selectFind Support or Report Profile.
- Follow the on-screen instructions for impersonation to file a report.
You can report an impersonating Facebook account by filling out a form. Note: You can also report impersonating accounts in Messenger. Learn how to report someone that's pretending to be you or someone else in Messenger.
How to protect FB account from being cloned?
Begin by making your Facebook friends list invisible (Hide FB Friends list). Anyone who clones your Facebook account will use your friend's list as a target list, but if your friend's list is private, it will be much more difficult for them to identify people who will fall for their con. Fortunately, concealing your friend's list is as simple as clicking a few buttons:
- Use your web browser to access Facebook.
- To open the menu, click the triangle in the upper right corner, then pick Settings.
- In the left-hand column, select Privacy.
- Select "Who can see your friends list" from the "How People Can Find and Contact You" section. Simply press the button.
- Select who you want to see in your friends list from the drop-down menu.
- It's also a good idea to evaluate your privacy settings when you're looking at your Facebook settings. Take a minute to review your other settings because keeping your information locked down is the greatest way to keep yourself safe.
What Is a Facebook Account Cloning Scam?
As I already explained above, spammers do FB account cloning to bag some money, to defame others, or to spread rumors. So if you are still thinking about what to do if your facebook account is cloned. Please read above and protect your Facebook account As soon As Possible.
To reach as many individuals as possible, they will usually try to add your existing friends to their list. They can then:
Locking down your account with everything set to "Private" or at least "Friends only" is the best way to protect yourself from cloning.
- Send your buddies harmful links; ask them to lend you money by fabricating a tale;
- Attempt to elicit personal information from your friends. It's possible that they'll give it to them thinking it's you. Scammers can use this information to change the phony profile and make it look even more believable;
- Make use of bait-and-switch tactics;
- By posting something inappropriate to your friends or in public, you jeopardize your reputation.
- By reporting to you, you can try to shut down your genuine profile.
Despite the fact that some people are more careful, many people may still accept dubious friend requests. They may believe it's your new official profile, that you defriended them and wish to re-friend them, and so on.
How to Tell if Your Facebook Account Has Been Cloned
Source: https://makeanapplike.com/what-to-do-if-your-facebook-account-is-cloned/