If you’ve been using Facebook for years like most people, you’re probably familiar with the insane amount of notifications that can hit you at once. You’ll see things like upcoming birthdays, events from your groups and a plethora of other random activities from people you know.

The latest scam is coming from scammers replying to your posts on business pages. Data harvesters and cybercriminals sometimes pose as (not so) innocent Facebook accounts so they can scan your profile and share your data. Some even go as far as sweet-talking you into giving up personal information. Here’s how you can spot the phonies.

Did you get a message like this, usually from a retired police officer or military officer?

Stephen J. Townsend
I hope you don’t get this the wrong way because a lot of people don’t extend a friendly hand to strangers. Forgive me if I just invaded your privacy. But I hope you understand, I’m just trying to be a friend. I sent you a friend request, but it was canceled. Kindly send me a friend request. Thanks.

John Miller
Hello beautiful, I love your post, and you seem like a nice woman. I’m trying to send you a request but it’s not going through, so I decided to drop a comment here, please send me a request so we can be friends. Thank you. Best wishes,  

Eric T Hill
Hello please can you add me as a friend, if you don’t mind? Your post are interesting and I love them, I hope there’s no problem being a part of your friends! I apologize for writing in your comment section. Thanks

They are Scammers
Scammers create fake Facebook profiles and send you a friend request or ask you to request them to access your personal data, like contact details or other personally identifiable information that’s restricted to “friends only.”  This information would be useful in setting you up for a phishing attack.  They may also try to strike up a conversation with you and have you invest or send money. 

Catfishing
Catfishers create extremely detailed fake profiles to trick people for romantic or financial gain. They’ll often use photos of beautiful models, retired military officers, and retired police officers in an attempt to hook victims. Tap or click here to see the damage a catfisher can do.

They’ll sometimes spam random friend requests to huge numbers of people before finding a willing victim. If you get a request, keep in mind that you’re probably one of a thousand “prospects” for these fakers.

The best thing to do with these requests is to ignore and report them.  

More information:

1. That friend request could be from a scammer
2. 17 Facebook Scams You Need to Take Seriously
3. Faking it — scammers’ tricks to steal your heart and money