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How I HELPED A GOOD FRIEND zac(not his true name) AVERT INTERNET EXTORTION

Tagalog for now, pardon me. I'll make an English version soon.

This was just recently where Facebook already has a REPORT button to report fake Facebook accounts.

Sabi ng friends ng friend ko na si (itago natin sya sa name na) Zacharias, eh bilib daw sila saken! Eh mabilis lang po at ganado kasi digital help sya across the globe.

Start

Zacharias: Donald (not his real name too) and I are batchmates sa AIM institute of Management. Donald received a Messenger message this morning which shows my FB profile pero hindi naman ako yun, so he asked me in a different Skype group chat kung ako nga iyon:

Fake account asking money

You can see from here at 10am'ish the perpetuator has not changed his profile picture yet.

Later he, the perpetuator, will change it to the pic profile of the account he is copying to, making his as seemingly right but actually a fake FB account.

A quick google of what to be done, which I did:

Googling how to address this

Easy right? However, my problem is how can I pinpoint the url/Facebook profile of the perpetuator eh hindi ko naman friend si Donald! So without disturbing the water, I scoured Zac's FRIENDS tab and I saw there Donald.

Then I check Donald's Friends tab. There I can see two ZAC profiles as his friends! hehe isa dito ang perpetuator! Mismo.

Then on another browser, actually I was using to check the FB profile using TorBrowser to be safe, and I have the following:

The real Zac url in FB is: 'https://www.facebook.com/zac.delacruz'
The perpetuator's url in FB is: 'https://www.facebook.com/jon.villanueva.754365' as the perpetuator's account disguising with real pictures and cover as Zachary dela Cruz Jr.!

Na-gets ninyo ba? Dali dali ako nireport kay Zac ito. He was amazed!

He asked me "what's our next recourse then?"

I told him to block this FB profile and his family too to block this profile agad agad which they all immediately did. I blocked it too using all of my FBs and my family's.

I am assuming at this time FB is alarmed na kasi REPORT of blockages is sunod sunod sa isang account na iyon na bogus.

I reported to Facebook and follow the easy 2-3 steps about fake accounts and reported to Facebook the bogus and the real accounts. I think in just a few minutes it was addressed by Facebook. Ang pogi ko tuloy sa Facebook nowadays :) ! But I really like helping IT-wise.

These were the follow up messages

Grabe no! Asking for 40k kasi may sakit daw kapatid ng asawa ni Zac.

Per Zac, but because of you...

We all avoided silently, properly, the fake account asking for money.

Thank you to Facebook too!

FB impersonator - why after two years you still need to report to FB

(Oct 2023) A brother of my friend in Manila, Jose, reported that someone created an unauthorized Facebook account using his Yahoo email address two years ago. He has been receiving notifications about the impersonator's activities ever since. This issue began when he asked someone to fix his laptop.

I advised him to take the following steps:

Report the fake profile to Facebook, which not only helps him but also assists Facebook in tackling scams.
Verify if two-factor authentication (2FA) is enabled for his Yahoo email address and activate it if not already done.
Verify if 2FA is enabled for his Facebook account and enable it if it's not.

We reported the impersonator's profile to Facebook. Jose reported it as "pretending to be someone" > "me," while his sister reported it as "pretending to be someone" > "A Friend." I also reported the profile to provide additional support, all within the same hour.

Remember: Be cautious about sharing personal information online, and report suspicious activity immediately to protect your online security.

Report it

Pretending to be someone

Option to block

Impersonating profile

What you can do more

How do I set up a verification code for Facebook?

Tap in the top right of Facebook. Scroll down and tap Settings, then tap Password and security. Scroll down and tap Use two-factor authentication. Choose the security method you want to add and follow the on-screen instructions.

Do the same on your email accounts please:

Tackling scams is a community effort and the Government’s efforts alone are not enough. Individuals must remain vigilant and protect themselves, their family and friends. Businesses and organisations should also play their part by educating and looking out for their customers or clients, working with the institutions battle the bad.

Victim's contacts notifying about 'unusual requests'

Police issue warning about fake WhatsApp Web phishing websitesVictims would only find out that their accounts have been compromised when they are notified by their contacts of unusual requests.

This blog is shown to public for the purpose of those who read may be informed of there's a help made by Facebook for fake or impersonating account. You can report it to them at once. Or someone else, IT-savvy to help you report that in lieu of you. I did it with a device and a laptop.

I'm only human after all

Cause I'm only human after all.

Some people think I can solve their problems. I do what I can.

They seem not knowing "Up" ☝️there is all I've got.

Rag'n'Bone Man - Human

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Impressum: CecilioArana.com, JeffreyArana.com, and JcAranaGroup.com domains are owned and administered by CecilioArana Group.(In certain countries, such as Austria, Germany and Switzerland, businesses may be required by law to include a statement of ownership on our web presence.)

It Pays To Do The Right Thing The First Time.I bet my being an internet entrepreneur which I love and am passionate about. Like a déjà vu, it took me a while to get into it. But it stays. I do get better. And once I clued in to the fact that a business is finite, the thought of losing it didn't scare me anymore. The end comes no matter what. The only thing that matters is, how do I want to go out, how do I want to finish? On my feet or on my knees? I bring that lesson, and all other lessons I garnered through the years, to this entrepreneurship journey. I act knowing that someday this business, one or two or multiple streams of businesses, will end, no matter what. I think you should do the same.

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