How to remove a cloned Facebook account? It occurs at predetermined times throughout the day on Facebook: A buddy writes in a post, “Do not accept any friend invitations from me!” [not to accept any friend requests from me!] There has been further cloning of Facebook accounts. The majority of us are now knowledgeable enough to exercise caution while using the internet, particularly while using Facebook.
However, the cloner will sometimes use coercion strategies to get their victims to act quickly (“I’m at a restaurant and don’t have enough money, send me money to cover the bill, the waiter is coming” is an example of this kind of ploy), which results in the victims either losing money or having their computers taken hostage.
Thankfully, there is a well-established process for reporting duplicated Facebook accounts that you can follow. You should be prepared for the possibility of having to delete a cloned Facebook account by learning how to do so in advance.
How to remove a cloned Facebook account?
In the event that you become a victim of this fraud, acting quickly to alert your friends about the problem and report the false account to Facebook is of the utmost importance in minimizing the extent of the harm.
Why do Facebook accounts get cloned?
On Facebook, there is basically just one reason why someone would want to impersonate you, and that is for the purpose of stealing your identity. However, there are numerous permutations of this central idea. Certain cloners will make an effort to convince your friends and family to send them modest sums of money by wire transfer.
They are aware that the relatively low sum that is being requested, in addition to the familiar name and face, will cause some individuals to relax their guard. The cloner might even fabricate an emergency circumstance and include it in their post, saying things like “I’ve been robbed and I need money to get home.” People who move rapidly with their actions think less.
Some cloners are brazen than others and will try to trick your Facebook contacts into visiting a harmful website by having them click on a link. This will allow the virus to be downloaded onto their computers. This potentially harmful code could be ransomware, which will prevent you from using your computer until you pay the amount that is required.
Others still want information about your acquaintances so that they can increase the number of people they can target as potential victims. There is no question about it: a complete stranger who uses your Facebook profile to impersonate you will never have your best interests in mind.
How do I know if someone cloned my Facebook account?
Many users discover that their Facebook account has been cloned when they begin to get messages, emails, and even phone calls from people on their friends list informing them that something appears unusual about their recent posts.
People may even question if you are okay and if you have received the money they sent you if they received a bogus message asking for money and saying that you were in some kind of predicament. The message may have claimed that you needed the money because you were in a bind of some type.
You can quickly determine if your Facebook account has been cloned by searching Facebook for your own name. This is the easiest approach to finding out if your account has been cloned. It is very likely that there is more than one person in the world with your name, so you shouldn’t be startled if you find out. You need to look at it from a slightly different angle.
First things first: look at your profile picture. In the event that more than one of your profile pictures appears on the list of search results, one of those pictures does not depict you. Examine both of these profiles sides by side.
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The other will either have few to no posts or a post about their dilemma and how they only need someone to click on a link to help them out. One will have all of your typical posts (or lack thereof), while the other will have all of your normal posts (or lack thereof).
It’s possible that there are errors in other details as well. Even if you don’t post your birthdate (which many people don’t), it’s possible that someone else has already done so—and it could be incorrect. However, if someone uses your photo on a profile that also includes your name, you have reason to think that they are trying to commit fraud.
You should get in touch with Facebook as soon as possible. You should also make sure that you log out of Facebook on each of your devices, after which you should log back in and alter your password to anything that you have never employed before. During this time, you should also take the opportunity to adjust your privacy settings so that nothing is set to the Public setting.
Cloning vs hacking
There is a distinction to be made between cloning a Facebook account and hacking that account. If you see fictional posts made in your name on Facebook but a search for your name does not turn up any duplicate accounts, it is possible that your account was hacked rather than cloned.
Either somebody is in possession of your Facebook password or they have the know-how and the tools necessary to hack into your account. Someone has access to your Facebook account. (One of the ways that they do this is by utilizing a program that mechanically fills in password after password until it, through sheer repetition, discovers the correct one for your account.)
If this is the case, you should immediately switch your password to one that is extremely lengthy and difficult, and then you should publish a notice on your timeline instructing people not to interact with any of your recent postings. The hacker will be able to disregard your warning if you do not immediately reset your password.
What to do if your Facebook account gets cloned
The process is simple to complete if you are certain that your Facebook account has been cloned and that this is what has happened. Proceed to the profile page of the cloned or phony account you created. To access the menu on the right-hand side of the page, click the button that looks like three dots. After that, select either the Find support or report option.
Select “Pretending to be someone” from the list of available options that appears.
After that, select “Pretending to be me” by clicking on it.
Simply clicking on the button labeled “Submit” will cause a notification to be sent to Facebook about the issue. As soon as a few days have passed, Facebook will delete the bogus account.
FAQs
Can you tell me what to do if I discover a suspicious Facebook profile?
Check out the impersonator’s profile. If you still can’t track it down, ask around among your friends to see if anyone has a copy they can share with you, or conduct a search using the name provided in the profile. Select Find Help or Report Profile by tapping the corresponding buttons below the cover photo. To report impersonation, please follow the on-screen prompts.
To what end do my several Facebook profiles exist?
In spite of its seeming simplicity, the cloning of Facebook accounts is a popular and effective hoax. A cloned account is an identical but seemingly legitimate account that leverages your name, likeness, and other publicly available information to fool your friends into giving up their own personal details. This practical joke may not be as funny as it seems, as these clones are capable of serious harm.
How many complaints must be submitted before a Facebook account is permanently deleted?
No official figure is given. The seriousness of the situation and the reliability of the report are both factors. On rare occasions, Facebook will remove an account after receiving just one valid report, and it will do it quickly, usually within a day.