{"id":71995,"date":"2024-07-14T14:00:31","date_gmt":"2024-07-14T14:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/3bdaa16f429878955205768c58c6cb4b"},"modified":"2024-07-14T14:00:31","modified_gmt":"2024-07-14T14:00:31","slug":"cloned-on-facebook-heres-how-to-take-back-control","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.timesamerica.net\/cloned-on-facebook-heres-how-to-take-back-control\/","title":{"rendered":"Cloned on Facebook? Here&#8217;s how to take back control"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"article-gating gated-overlay show-gate\" readability=\"24.90543071161\">\n<div class=\"article-gating-wrapper\" readability=\"28.62265917603\">\n<p>Join Fox News for access to this content<\/p>\n<p>You have reached your maximum number of articles. Log in or create an account FREE of charge to continue reading.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-gating-legal tablet-desktop\" readability=\"21.43949044586\">By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News&#8217; <span class=\"waslinkname\">Terms of Use<\/span> and <span class=\"waslinkname\">Privacy Policy<\/span>, which includes our <span class=\"waslinkname\">Notice of Financial Incentive<\/span>. <\/div>\n<p><span>Please enter a valid email address.<\/span><\/p>\n<footer class=\"article-gating-footer\"><span class=\"waslinkname\">Having trouble? Click here.<\/span><\/footer>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"speakable\">If you could get a penny for every new scam online, you\u2019d be on your way to becoming rich.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable\">If you got a penny for every person who has had <span class=\"waslinkname\"><u>their account hacked<\/u><\/span> on Facebook, you\u2019d be doubly rich. Not only do you have to contend with hackers hijacking your accounts or selling your information on the dark web, but now?&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Hackers are skipping the attempts to infiltrate your accounts and are <i>cloning<\/i> <span class=\"waslinkname\">Facebook accounts<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"waslinkname\"><strong><u>GET SECURITY ALERTS, EXPERT TIPS &#8211; SIGN UP FOR KURT\u2019S NEWSLETTER &#8211; THE CYBERGUY REPORT HERE<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/343\/192\/1-Cloned-on-Facebook-Heres-how-to-take-back-control-facebookalert.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/686\/384\/1-Cloned-on-Facebook-Heres-how-to-take-back-control-facebookalert.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/672\/378\/1-Cloned-on-Facebook-Heres-how-to-take-back-control-facebookalert.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/1344\/756\/1-Cloned-on-Facebook-Heres-how-to-take-back-control-facebookalert.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/931\/523\/1-Cloned-on-Facebook-Heres-how-to-take-back-control-facebookalert.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/1862\/1046\/1-Cloned-on-Facebook-Heres-how-to-take-back-control-facebookalert.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/720\/405\/1-Cloned-on-Facebook-Heres-how-to-take-back-control-facebookalert.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/1440\/810\/1-Cloned-on-Facebook-Heres-how-to-take-back-control-facebookalert.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.timesamerica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/cloned-on-facebook-heres-how-to-take-back-control.jpg\" alt=\"facebook clone 1\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"7\">\n<p><span>Facebook app on a smartphone&nbsp;<\/span> <span>(Kurt &#8220;CyberGuy&#8221; Knutsson)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><strong>What is Facebook cloning?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Now hackers are using your photos, name and information to create new Facebook profiles. Once <span class=\"waslinkname\">these fake duplicate profiles<\/span> are created, they reach out to your friends and family to ask them to accept the friend request. Once accepted, they usually message friends and family for monetary assistance due to some bogus and urgent scenario.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>What hackers commonly ask for with a cloned account:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Money<\/li>\n<li>Additional personal information<\/li>\n<li>Password and login information<\/li>\n<li>Redirecting unsuspecting people to spam and scam websites<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Yes, it seems unlikely that anyone would be duped so easily. Yet many people do get fooled. Most people also don\u2019t hesitate to accept <span class=\"waslinkname\">friend requests<\/span> from people they think they already know. Due to their concern for their friend or family member, many rush in an effort to help someone they know with resources, access or information.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"waslinkname\"><strong><u>BEST ANTIVIRUS FOR MAC, PC, IPHONES AND ANDROIDS &#8211; CYBERGUY PICKS<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>What to do if your Facebook account has been cloned?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>While not as complicated as having your Facebook account hacked, below are steps to take if your account has been cloned to minimize consequences.<\/p>\n<p>1.&nbsp;<strong>Notify friends and family immediately<\/strong> that your account has been cloned and to not accept new friend requests from this account&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>2. <strong>Get as many friends and family to report the cloned account as possible<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Below are steps to take to report these cloned accounts:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>On the cloned account\u2019s profile, click the <strong>three dots<\/strong> under the profile banner<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"waslinkname\"><strong>CLICK HERE FOR MORE U.S. NEWS<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/343\/192\/2-Cloned-on-Facebook-Heres-how-to-take-back-control-FBhowtoreport1.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/686\/384\/2-Cloned-on-Facebook-Heres-how-to-take-back-control-FBhowtoreport1.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/672\/378\/2-Cloned-on-Facebook-Heres-how-to-take-back-control-FBhowtoreport1.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/1344\/756\/2-Cloned-on-Facebook-Heres-how-to-take-back-control-FBhowtoreport1.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/931\/523\/2-Cloned-on-Facebook-Heres-how-to-take-back-control-FBhowtoreport1.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/1862\/1046\/2-Cloned-on-Facebook-Heres-how-to-take-back-control-FBhowtoreport1.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/720\/405\/2-Cloned-on-Facebook-Heres-how-to-take-back-control-FBhowtoreport1.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/1440\/810\/2-Cloned-on-Facebook-Heres-how-to-take-back-control-FBhowtoreport1.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.timesamerica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/cloned-on-facebook-heres-how-to-take-back-control-1.jpg\" alt=\"facebook clone 2\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"7\">\n<p><span>Steps to take to report cloned accounts &nbsp;<\/span> <span>(Kurt &#8220;CyberGuy&#8221; Knutsson)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>Select <strong>\u2018Report Profile\u2019<\/strong> in the drop-down menu<\/li>\n<li>Select <strong>\u2018Fake account\u2019<\/strong> as the problem in the next drop-down menu<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"waslinkname\"><strong>GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/343\/192\/3-Cloned-on-Facebook-Heres-how-to-take-back-control-FBhowtoreport2.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/686\/384\/3-Cloned-on-Facebook-Heres-how-to-take-back-control-FBhowtoreport2.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/672\/378\/3-Cloned-on-Facebook-Heres-how-to-take-back-control-FBhowtoreport2.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/1344\/756\/3-Cloned-on-Facebook-Heres-how-to-take-back-control-FBhowtoreport2.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/931\/523\/3-Cloned-on-Facebook-Heres-how-to-take-back-control-FBhowtoreport2.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/1862\/1046\/3-Cloned-on-Facebook-Heres-how-to-take-back-control-FBhowtoreport2.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/720\/405\/3-Cloned-on-Facebook-Heres-how-to-take-back-control-FBhowtoreport2.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/1440\/810\/3-Cloned-on-Facebook-Heres-how-to-take-back-control-FBhowtoreport2.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.timesamerica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/cloned-on-facebook-heres-how-to-take-back-control-2.jpg\" alt=\"facebook clone 3\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"7\">\n<p><span>Steps to take to report cloned accounts &nbsp;<\/span> <span>(Kurt &#8220;CyberGuy&#8221; Knutsson)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>If you successfully reported the cloned profile, you should get a confirmation message showing the progress of the review of the account.<\/p>\n<p>3.&nbsp;If your account is cloned, it doesn\u2019t necessarily mean <span class=\"waslinkname\">it is hacked.<\/span><strong> So, check your settings<\/strong> to determine if anyone has access to your account before taking more stringent measures. To take more specific steps to secure your Facebook account from being hacked, follow the steps in <span class=\"waslinkname\"><u>5 ways to make your Facebook account bulletproof<\/u><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"waslinkname\"><strong><u>HERE\u2019S WHAT RUTHLESS HACKERS STOLE FROM 110 MILLION AT&amp;T CUSTOMERS<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>How to prevent Facebook cloning?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>While it is difficult to prevent someone from cloning your Facebook account, there are some steps you can take to make it more difficult.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>1. First, you can check if this is already happening by <strong>entering your name in the search bar on Facebook<\/strong>. While there may be multiple users with the same name, cloned accounts are usually identifiable because they try to use your photo to dupe your friends and family.<\/p>\n<p>2. <strong>Make your Friend List private<\/strong> so no one can access it. This will make it harder for people, even in your network, to know who to contact with these cloned accounts.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>3. <strong>Change your privacy settings for photos, videos and information you post<\/strong> so people can\u2019t use your photos and info to create profiles. Anything set to &#8220;public&#8221; is fair game to be used by these hackers to include in their cloned accounts.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"waslinkname\"><strong><u>THE DARK WORLD OF FACEBOOK ADS WHERE SCAMMERS ARE TRYING TO STEAL YOUR MONEY<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Kurt\u2019s key takeaways<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>As long as social media exists, there will be bad actors working every possible angle to take advantage of people and their networks. Aside from following best practices in keeping your accounts secure, it is now important to keep your personal information and media private. With hackers now cloning Facebook accounts, you might not even know about such an account until a friend or family member alerts you. With clear communication with your social networks on Facebook and enlisting their support to report the fake account, you can take steps to secure your presence on Facebook. While there will inevitably be another scam on Facebook, we will keep you notified and on high alert so you can nip it in the bud.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"waslinkname\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Has anyone ever cloned your Facebook account? Have you received a friend request from a cloned account? Let us know by writing us at<strong> <\/strong><span class=\"waslinkname\"><strong><u>Cyberguy.com\/Contact<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to <span class=\"waslinkname\"><strong><u>Cyberguy.com\/Newsletter<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"waslinkname\"><u>Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you&#8217;d like us to cover<\/u><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Follow Kurt on his social channels<\/p>\n<p>Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:<\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com.&nbsp; All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Join Fox News for access to this content You have reached your maximum number of articles. Log in or create an account FREE of charge to continue reading. By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News&#8217; Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive. Please &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":71996,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-71995","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech","has-thumb","has-featured"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.timesamerica.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71995"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.timesamerica.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.timesamerica.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.timesamerica.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.timesamerica.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71995"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wp.timesamerica.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71995\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.timesamerica.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.timesamerica.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71995"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.timesamerica.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71995"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.timesamerica.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71995"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}