Fake Facebook profile friend requests

[cktc]

Does everyone get these? 

My sister has a crazy ex who has made several fake profiles in an attempt to stalk her on facebook, then presumably in real life. Now every time I get a new request from someone who clearly doesn't exist, my mind goes to him. It's been almost 4 years since they split, and I get random requests every 6 months or so. My fiance thinks I'm being paranoid, and it is just random.

Whoever is behind this latest one, is pretending to be from, and befriending people from our hometown.  If they aren't stalking my sister, they are stalking someone. 

[TheHaitian]

Weird...

Sorry you are going through that but I don't friend people on facebook that I don't know personally.

So I don't approve friends of friends, of cousins or family members unless I know them also.

[kittensaver]

Mar 27, 2015 9:57:01 GMT -5 TheHaitian said:

Weird...

Sorry you are going through that but I don't friend people on facebook that I don't know personally.

So I don't approve friends of friends, of cousins or family members unless I know them also.

Same here. I ignore any request from anyone I don't know personally.

[cktc]

So do you both get these type of requests periodically?

I've gotten requests from distant relatives I've never met, but they were clearly actual people. The ones I'm referring to are just a shell of a profile, a couple pics, a couple friends, not enough information that would indicate it is even someone I should know.

[Deleted]

I get them, usually it's some sales person or scammer. From what I understand they will send out requests to everyone on some random persons friends list. That doesn't mean that your sister doesn't have a stalker using the same tactics.

[TheHaitian]

Mar 27, 2015 10:14:40 GMT -5 cktc said:

So do you both get these type of requests periodically?

I've gotten requests from distant relatives I've never met, but they were clearly actual people. The ones I'm referring to are just a shell of a profile, a couple pics, a couple friends, not enough information that would indicate it is even someone I should know.

Maybe yes and maybe no, I can't really say.

When I get a friend request, I first look at the name. If i don't recognize the name, I might look at their picture to see if the face seems familiar (some people use pseudo names for work purposes or nicknames).

If even in the pictures they don't look familiar I will go a step further and see what mutual friends we have.
- if none, automatic don't approve
- if it is a few I can peg where in my social Circle they fit (a lot of family members - distant cousin like you say; slot of high school friends - maybe someone that went to my high school I was not close to ; a lot of college friends - same as before.; a lot of workers friend - ok ).
- from there I will decide if I really want to friend them or not. Usually I don't because if I have to go through all that to figure out who you are we are not friends anyway and haven't been.

[Lizard Queen]

When I'm scrolling through facebook on my phone or tablet, occasionally I'll hit "Add Friend" accidentally.    It's just too damn easy to do, and I don't really want to friend people I don't know.

[bean29]

Facebook self generates requests.

We have a family page and I am friends with most of my Cousins and aunts and uncles that are on facebook. I am only friends with a few of their children as I don't know all of them (and I don't know some that I have as FB friends irl b/c of geography but I enjoy their posts) I do however get friend requests occasionally from some of these people is says something like do you know Bri, or Do you know Jay where it is the Fiance of my Cousin's son or one of the kids of my cousins son. I also have gotten friend requests from relatives of relatives and co-workers of relatives...I don't think they generate themselves FB is "suggesting" friends to self perpetuate its relevancy.

IDK, I have one FB friend who was an actual friend of mine in Junior high, highschool and college and he is friends with my brother.  He has very little on his FB profile.  Personally I think he created his FB page around the time of our 30 year reunion but has very little desire to use FB, but he still has a page.  I just went to see my Chriopracter this week and he said their HS Class reunion is organized completely on FB now...so I think there are probably a good number of people who have FB accounts that they don't use a whole lot.

I have an Uncle that posts a lot on FB, his wife is my Dad's sister...she does not post a lot on FB, but she has an account and posts a few times a year .

Funny story, I once accepted a FB friend request b/c I thought it was one of my cousins they based on her FB page I wondered if I was being stalked by someone bc she was a Harley Biker Chick.  I asked my Mom who is Mary B?  Is that Uncle L's youngest daughter and Mom said I don't know not sure.  I unfrieded the person only to later learn it was my cousin.  She is back on my friends list.

Those friend requests will show you the # of friends you have in common which may let you know if you want to accept.  My Son and I don't have a lot of friends in common though LOL, so that may not mean much.  The ones I have never been sure about are my BIL's.  Do I really want to be FB friends with them if they are on FB?  Idk.  My Brother is not on FB and DH has an account but does not go on very often.  My DN does not have an account either, and DH's best friends don't use FB but their wives do...we message everything between the women.

[justme]

I don't get them that often, but my privacy settings are pretty strict.

[toomuchreality]

I've never had one of those. But I don't have 50 billion 'friends' either, just people I know.
If I got one of those, I would either ignore it, or block them.

Life has enough drama and chaos, without purposely adding to it, IMO.

Good luck!