Why You Keep “Getting Hacked” on Facebook and How to Prevent It

“I’ve been hacked. Don’t accept any friend requests from me!” We see this in our Facebook feed almost daily.

It’s often the same people: former teachers, my friends’ parents … even my own father (sorry Dad!). So why is it happening and how can you prevent it?

First off, you’re not getting “hacked” if someone opens a fake account with your name. If they actually took over your account, that would be getting hacked.

They don’t have your personal information or password. You didn’t get hacked, you got impersonated.

They’re actually going after your friends.

This keeps happening because you’ve made yourself a target, and here’s how: You know all those random fun questions that pop up in your feed that you chime in on? You’re sharing or commenting on them.

“Who remembers the first song they slow danced to?”

“What games did you play in your backyard that today’s kids will never try?”

“What was the first car you owned?”

They also use ignorant, pseudo-patriotic images like “Share this American flag to piss off the Muslims!” (This is still happening in 2023.)

Or there’s the weird generational pride… “Share” if you drank straight from the garden hose!

People also think typing “Amen” under a picture of a cross is noted somewhere in Heaven.

These random posts seem harmless to share or comment on (other than the obvious spreading of Islamophobia), but think about their origin. Is there any commercial benefit to these sites? Of course not.

The scammers (not hackers) see who leaves a comment or shares the post and then proceed to make fake profiles of these people. They assume that their friends in the same circles are susceptible to believing these fake friend requests.

It’s that simple. If you comment, they’ll make a fake profile of you, get your friends to add them, and then either post spam on your friends’ walls or send a direct message asking your pals for money. The success rate is low (I hope), but not so low that it’s going away anytime soon.

So if you’re tired of “being hacked” (impersonated on Facebook), stop answering and sharing those random posts. They would die out if people let them.

To be fair, it’s not just the older generation, but they’re the easiest target. I love having the older generation on Facebook. I think it’s wonderful, but since you’re newer to social media I wanted to give you this advice.

Stop commenting and sharing random posts and you won’t become a target. I’ve been on Facebook for 19 years and…knock on wood.

By the way, it’s safe to share this post (or is it? haha).

***And yes, I know as a comedian one of my buddies is going to make a fake profile of me for this article.

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