Identity fraud on the popular social networking site Facebook has been on the rise recently, with fraudsters hijacking accounts or masquerading as real friends or acquaintances.
Some victims have had their personal information stolen after approving fake friend requests from acquaintances.
*******
Familiar name
"These are some pictures taken by my friend. If you don't mind, please vote for them."
A 48-year-old male company employee from Chiba city, the capital of Chiba Prefecture, Japan, received this Facebook message in June from a female company employee in Kashiwa, also in the prefecture.
As she was an acquaintance from more than 10 years ago, he did not think twice before clicking on the URL. The link took him to another site with several photos of scenery.
When he tried to vote for one of them, he was asked to enter his cellphone number.
Thinking this to be strange, he contacted the woman, who said she had not sent any such message.
She logged into her Facebook profile and checked with her friends on the matter, only to find her account had been used by an unknown person.
Similar messages had been sent to about 60 of her Facebook friends.
The woman had been using the same password on several different websites. "My password must have been stolen from some of the sites and used maliciously," she said.
"My account may have been hijacked. I'm terribly sorry for causing my friends trouble."
Antiviral software company Trend Micro said it had confirmed five cases in which Facebook users were tricked into visiting websites using a similar technique and actually entered their cell phone numbers.
"Their friends' Facebook passwords might have been compromised or their devices might have been infected with a remote-control type Facebook virus," an official at the firm said.
*****
Malicious masquerade
Friend requests from people masquerading as acquaintances are also on the rise.
In mid- and late June, a female Tokyo university student received Facebook friend requests from her high school "classmates."
After approving each request, she received a message requesting her to contact an e-mail address. She was then redirected to a paid dating service.
Eiichi Moriya, a senior security analyst at IBM Japan Ltd., investigated the victims of such Facebook phishing cases by running a search on their names through the Internet.
In early June, there were only a few cases per day. However, since the middle of the month, the number shot up to 50 to 100 per day.
In some instances, a fraudster had examined a person's friends list to find "friends of friends," and then sent friend requests while masquerading as that person.
"Once you friend someone on Facebook, it's rather easy to obtain any personal information listed in their profile, such as an e-mail address or place of employment," Moriya said. "Also, you tend to trust an e-mail if you think it's from a friend. That makes it easier for the culprit to scam you or infect your device with an information-stealing virus."
He added, "Although it's very difficult to distinguish between fake and real messages, you must be mindful that a person's Facebook profile could be fake if it has no profile photo or little to no posts."
********
Abusing system
With the correct e-mail address and password, anyone can illegally log into a person's Facebook profile and write posts or send messages to his or her friends.
Facebook has an identity confirmation system for people whose accounts have been locked.
However, this system can be abused by users looking to hijack Facebook accounts.
Under the procedure for confirming an individual's identity, one must ask three or more Facebook friends to receive security codes and send them to the individual so they can set up a new password.
The person's identity can be confirmed if the security codes sent by the individual are all correct.
However, it is possible for a fraudster to get a new password if he is masquerading as that person.
"We can't comment on whether that is possible or not, but we have beefed up our security countermeasures," said an official of Facebook Japan. -- The Yomiuri Shimbun
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Thu Aug 29 2013
![Facebook ID fraud on rise in Japan Facebook ID fraud on rise in Japan](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2012-12/71356052333_120x90.jpg)
AWANI 7:45 [16/07/2024] - Suspek dibawa ke lokasi | Selamat tinggal rakyat Malaysia | Harimau Malaya hilang taring?
- Polis sahkan suspek bunuh Kartini anggota polis.
- Pan-Gon enggan dedah punca letak jawatan.
- Faisal Halim sedih mentor Pan-Gon undur diri.
- Pakai reben putih di Parlimen, tak salah.
- Pan-Gon enggan dedah punca letak jawatan.
- Faisal Halim sedih mentor Pan-Gon undur diri.
- Pakai reben putih di Parlimen, tak salah.
![Najib fail permohonan di mahkamah rayuan cabar Titah Adendum Najib fail permohonan di mahkamah rayuan cabar Titah Adendum](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2023-05/71683779541_TBNAJIBRAZAK.jpg)
Najib fail permohonan di mahkamah rayuan cabar Titah Adendum
Berdasarkan sistem e-filing mahkamah, rayuan itu telah ditetapkan untuk pengurusan kes pada 7 Oktober ini.
![E-sukan harus dijadikan kepentingan sehingga ke peringkat lebih tinggi E-sukan harus dijadikan kepentingan sehingga ke peringkat lebih tinggi](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/61721128633_MohdHidayatMohdSa.jpg)
E-sukan harus dijadikan kepentingan sehingga ke peringkat lebih tinggi
Kerajaan juga harus wujudkan sebuah dasar yang jelas supaya kepentingan e-sukan ini mampu diperkembangkan ke masa hadapan.
![Kerajaan pandang serius penularan ideologi liberalism, pluralism Kerajaan pandang serius penularan ideologi liberalism, pluralism](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/61721122322_ZulkifliHasan.jpg)
Kerajaan pandang serius penularan ideologi liberalism, pluralism
Kerajaan sentiasa memandang serius terhadap penularan ideologi dan aliran pemikiran yang bercanggah dengan ajaran Islam seperti ideologi liberalism dan pluralism agama.
![Tidak dapat tidak, atlet RTG mesti bawa pulang emas - MOM Tidak dapat tidak, atlet RTG mesti bawa pulang emas - MOM](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-03/61710754100_MohdNazifuddinNaji.jpg)
Tidak dapat tidak, atlet RTG mesti bawa pulang emas - MOM
Atlet di bawah projek Road To Gold (RTG) tidak mempunyai pilihan selain memenangi emas yang diidam-idamkan Malaysia pada Sukan Olimpik 2024 di Paris.
![KEDA peruntuk RM3.37 juta tahun ini bagi keterjaminan makanan KEDA peruntuk RM3.37 juta tahun ini bagi keterjaminan makanan](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2023-09/41693913999_RubiahWang.jpg)
KEDA peruntuk RM3.37 juta tahun ini bagi keterjaminan makanan
Lembaga Kemajuan Wilayah Kedah (KEDA) memperuntukkan RM3.37 juta pada tahun ini bagi memastikan keterjaminan makanan negara.
![Dewan Rakyat lulus RUU Agensi Kawalan dan Perlindungan Sempadan Malaysia Dewan Rakyat lulus RUU Agensi Kawalan dan Perlindungan Sempadan Malaysia](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/41721021538_TBSHAMSUL.jpg)
Dewan Rakyat lulus RUU Agensi Kawalan dan Perlindungan Sempadan Malaysia
Rang Undang-Undang Agensi Kawalan dan Perlindungan Sempadan Malaysia 2024 yang bertujuan menubuhkan MCBA diluluskan persidangan Dewan Rakyat, hari ini.
![PAC akan mulakan prosiding isu dibangkit LKAN Siri 2/2024 PAC akan mulakan prosiding isu dibangkit LKAN Siri 2/2024](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-03/61710922383_MasErmieyatiSamsud.jpg)
PAC akan mulakan prosiding isu dibangkit LKAN Siri 2/2024
Jawatankuasa Kira-Kira Wang Negara (PAC) akan memulakan prosiding bagi empat isu yang dibangkitkan dalam Laporan Ketua Audit Negara (LKAN) Siri 2/2024.
AWANI Ringkas: Kes bunuh Nur Farah Kartini | Skandal LCS
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
ADUN Rembia sertai Pas, kenapa tak umum tahun lepas? - MP Kampar
Chong Zhemin, tindakan tersebut seolah-olah satu penghinaan paling besar kepada Parlimen yang telah meluluskan pindaan Perlembagaan Persekutuan berkait Akta Antilompat Parti.
![Do postponements cause delays in the Courts? Do postponements cause delays in the Courts?](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2019-02/61550614637_IstanaKehakiman.jpg)
Do postponements cause delays in the Courts?
Cases may often be postponed or otherwise delayed for various reasons. The truth of the matter is that these delays may be necessary due to the Rule of law and due process.
![Father of kidnapped boy in Kajang buys ad to clear taxi driver's name Father of kidnapped boy in Kajang buys ad to clear taxi driver's name](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2015-10/41445749313_hanizan.jpg)
Father of kidnapped boy in Kajang buys ad to clear taxi driver's name
Lee Kim Wen said he and his family are grateful for the help and confident that the taxi driver was not involved in the kidnapping.