[Technology] Facebook scam advice sought

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

A old pal of mine who has an old laptop and very little by way of anti-malware (so I suspect) has been 'locked out of facebook' due to 'suspicious activity'. He was invited to change his password, but did not receive the email with the code needed to proceed. He was then invited to verify his identity by uploading a scan of his passport, driving licence or something else. I told him not to do this.

I plan to clear his caches and see if I can run some antimalware software for him (although I will have to find something since I can't 'lend' him mine).

Anyone know about this (my guess is he's been doing some 'risky' surfing and has got some sort of hijacking malware) and how to fix it?

I don't use Facebook very often myself; when I checked mine I got on without any issue, although it did invite me to upgrade my password (I didn't bother).

Cheers.

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

It may not be a scam as Facebook in some instances does ask for photo ID to verify the person in the event they've lost access to their account or are trying to setup a business account etc.

https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/515009838910929

You certainly need to get some anti-malware/anti-virus software installed though. I use Avast's free Antivirus which is excellent. For a scan I'd recommend using something like Malwarebytes which has a free scan & removal tool.

https://www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-download

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

The best advice is just to bin Facebook.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

It may not be a scam as Facebook in some instances does ask for photo ID to verify the person in the event they've lost access to their account or are trying to setup a business account etc.

https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/515009838910929

You certainly need to get some anti-malware/anti-virus software installed though. I use Avast's free Antivirus which is excellent. For a scan I'd recommend using something like Malwarebytes which has a free scan & removal tool.

https://www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-download

Thank you!

 

[happypig]

I was locked out of it years ago, I found a dll file on my pc, copied it and renamed it passport.jpg and uploaded it. A few minutes later I was back in.
You can generate a random file here https://pinetools.com/random-file-generator
Facebook don't (or didn't at the time) have the staff to check.

 

[Durlston]

Never look at porn on the internet. Too risky.

Buy DVD's or magazines (if they're still published) or look for them in overgrown bushes.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

The best advice is just to bin Facebook.

He uses it to keep in touch with his son who lives in America and his old pals

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Never look at porn on the internet. Too risky.

Buy DVD's or magazines (if they're still published) or look for them in overgrown bushes.

Finding magazines in the undergrowth. How 1970s

 

[SeagullinExile]

He uses it to keep in touch with his son who lives in America and his old pals

I binned FB 7 years ago. I have many friends abroad and there are easier and much safer ways to talk for free.

Best thing I ever did.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I binned FB 7 years ago. I have many friends abroad and there are easier and much safer ways to talk for free.

Best thing I ever did.

I'll pass on your advice.

I stopped using it at least 15 years ago, apart from a quick skim once every year or so. My last post was probably to celebrate our promotion to the EPL.

For others, it's different though.

 

[Seagull27]

A old pal of mine who has an old laptop and very little by way of anti-malware (so I suspect) has been 'locked out of facebook' due to 'suspicious activity'. He was invited to change his password, but did not receive the email with the code needed to proceed. He was then invited to verify his identity by uploading a scan of his passport, driving licence or something else. I told him not to do this.

I plan to clear his caches and see if I can run some antimalware software for him (although I will have to find something since I can't 'lend' him mine).

Anyone know about this (my guess is he's been doing some 'risky' surfing and has got some sort of hijacking malware) and how to fix it?

I don't use Facebook very often myself; when I checked mine I got on without any issue, although it did invite me to upgrade my password (I didn't bother).

Cheers.

Have any of his Facebook friends seen any strange activity on his account recently - can they see if his account has posted anything that hasn't come from him, or has anyone received messages from him that he didn't write?

The fact that he hasn't received the password reset email suggests to me that someone may have managed to get access to his account and changed the email, then potentially used it for other means (usually to attempt to scam others).

As mentioned above, I think the request from Facebook for proof of ID will be legit, and will be required to reset the password if he can't receive the email.

If I am correct on this, your pal may also want to consider the strength of his password, and also if he uses the same email and password for anything else, (not advisable, but most people do), especially online banking, then he should probably change them too.

 

[Chicken Run]

He uses it to keep in touch with his son who lives in America and his old pals

Recommend WhatsApp then


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Have any of his Facebook friends seen any strange activity on his account recently - can they see if his account has posted anything that hasn't come from him, or has anyone received messages from him that he didn't write?

The fact that he hasn't received the password reset email suggests to me that someone may have managed to get access to his account and changed the email, then potentially used it for other means (usually to attempt to scam others).

As mentioned above, I think the request from Facebook for proof of ID will be legit, and will be required to reset the password if he can't receive the email.

If I am correct on this, your pal may also want to consider the strength of his password, and also if he uses the same email and password for anything else, (not advisable, but most people do), especially online banking, then he should probably change them too.

Thanks.

The silly old bugger was supposed to pop round at eleven so I'd better pop round to his to see what's what...

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Recommend WhatsApp then


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Lol.

If only it wasn't owned by Facebook.

 

[SeagullinExile]

I'll pass on your advice.

I stopped using it at least 15 years ago, apart from a quick skim once every year or so. My last post was probably to celebrate our promotion to the EPL.

For others, it's different though.

Blimey, you got in early! It was only available to all 15 years ago. Unless you went to an Ivy League College of course.

 

[father_and_son]

It may not be a scam as Facebook in some instances does ask for photo ID to verify the person in the event they've lost access to their account or are trying to setup a business account etc.

https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/515009838910929

You certainly need to get some anti-malware/anti-virus software installed though. I use Avast's free Antivirus which is excellent. For a scan I'd recommend using something like Malwarebytes which has a free scan & removal tool.

https://www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-download

This. Avast far better than many paid for services (although you do get fairly frequent nag messages telling about some fictional/inconsequential issue that means you should upgrade - like your IP address being visible)

...and...

This. Best "post-infection" software. Always run if you've had any time with no anti-virus or you've been using an un-updated service for any length of time.


As for OP's assumption on 'dodgy surfing'... Highly unlikely. Most likely just a random probing attack, found no defenses so put some malware on. Some kid running a script against a huge batch of IP addresses looking for unprotected servers/pcs just for kicks.

 

[father_and_son]

Recommend WhatsApp then


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

...or discord, insta, Twitter, Snapchat, jeez, even Kik, Signal, Telegram, etc etc. Loads of alternatives for messaging someone you already know without all the crap that comes with using FB.

 

[Change at Barnham]

For anyone who is interested.....

HOW TO DEACTIVATE YOUR FACEBOOK ACCOUNT

Deactivating your Facebook account is easy and takes just a few seconds. Here's what you need to do.

Log in to your Facebook account
Click the small down arrow located in the upper right-hand corner of your Facebook homepage
Find 'Settings' and click on it
Hover over 'Manage Account' and click on 'Edit'
Click on 'Deactivate your account' at the bottom of the opened tab
Complete the form and click 'Deactivate' at bottom of the page
If you change your mind and want to reactivate your Facebook account, all you have to do is log back into Facebook with your details.

Your profile and account will be restored and you will not have lost anything.

HOW TO PERMANENTLY DELETE YOUR ACCOUNT

If you want to permanently delete Facebook, the social network has a page dedicated to the process.

There is no going back from permanently deleting Facebook though, so it is a good idea to back up all of your data first.

This means that if you decide you want Facebook back in the future, you will not have lost all of your photos, contacts, and other information.

Follow these easy steps to download your Facebook data.

Click the down arrow at the top right of any Facebook page and select Settings
Click "Download a copy of your Facebook data" at the bottom of the General Account Settings
Click Start My Archive
To delete Facebook once and for all, simply head over to Facebook's 'Delete Account' page and follow the instructions provided.

Your archive will probably be very large, as it includes posts, comments, photos, messages, and much more.

Because this download includes all of your profile information, it's important to keep it secure, as it could potentially be used by fraudsters if it fell into the wrong hands.

You can find a full list of the information available to download on Facebook's FAQ page.

 

[Knocky's Nose]

Buy DVD's or magazines (if they're still published) or look for them in overgrown bushes.

When I was a kid in the 70's you really did find Jazz Mags in overgrown bushes!

Trouble is, they actually contained lots of overgrown bushes....

 

[Durlston]

When I was a kid in the 70's you really did find Jazz Mags in overgrown bushes!

Trouble is, they actually contained lots of overgrown bushes....

Depends on the lady. Jo Guest, for example, had a nice, overgrown bush that I would love to have got into.