(Last Updated On: September 6, 2020)

RSN™ Anti-Scam Clue: Social Media Friends

When you look at a Facebook Profile and you suspect it might be fake, look also at the FRIENDS.

NOTE: real people don’t let strangers look at their friends (usually), so if you are not yet this person’s friend, and you can see all of their friends – RED FLAG. Though it could just be a person that doesn’t understand privacy settings.

If you have not locked down your privacy setting to prevent strangers from seeing your critical & personal information, such as your Facebook Friends List, then you need to do it now!

Scammers want you to see their friends list, so they can convince you they are real. It also creates a sense of competition that they use to accelerate the scam.

Gender Binging

A woman’s profile that is almost totally men from around the world is most likely not real – where are the real friends, the girlfriends, etc.

Same goes for men – if mostly or only women friends – then BIG RED FLAG.

We call this Gender Binging – nothing but one gender (or almost nothing) is an indication that this profile is targeting a gender.

Military Void

If the person says he or she is in the military, look for MANY military friends – if there are few or none – MAJOR RED FLAG.

Real men and women deployed overseas will miss their home, they will have things they miss, such as family and friends. They favorite Barbeque restaurants, and so much more. Their friends will reflect this.

Military people are also friends with lots of other people in the military, these are their friends and family away from home. While the military are warned not to share too much only, the lack of them is also a RED FLAG!

Real Friends

A real person will have family and real friends. There should be loads of relatives with the same last name. Real work friends from the same place of work.

Messy Profiles

The real world is messy and our social media reflects this – unless it was created for the purpose of scamming. Scammer profiles are always shallow. There are no company picnics, no Thanksgiving dinners, no Christmas present unwrapping. No birthday parties.

Instead, scammers attempt to invent an identity full of motivational and romantic sayings.

So remember that in social media, cleanliness is next to scamminess! Profiles that are missing real-world friends and family with a large local concentration are more likely scammers!

Friends Don't Let Friends Friend Scammers

Friends Don’t Let Friends Friend Scammers



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