TECH4GOOD
Many friends have recently contacted me to say they have discovered their social media accounts cloned and asked what they should do about it. Most have found the problem because they have been contacted by friends saying they were receiving friend requests from a new account.
In an age where social media have become integral to our daily lives, the rise of account cloning has emerged as a concerning trend that threatens our online security and personal relationships. It is different from hacking. Cybercriminals are expertly replicating profiles, mimicking everything from profile pictures to friend lists, and using our names and photos to deceive our friends and family. They do not need our password to do so. This alarming phenomenon, often dismissed as a mere prank, can lead to severe consequences, including identity theft, financial scams, emotional distress, and reputational damage.
As scammers exploit publicly available information to create convincing fake profiles, we must recognize the signs of cloning, understand the dangers, and explore the measures needed to safeguard our online identities. The process is alarmingly simple; scammers only need an email address to set up a new account and start impersonating someone else. If our name and profile picture are publicly available, often that is all a scammer would need to get started to clone our account. They do not need to take over our account to create a fake account under our name. They know that popular social media platforms do little to ensure the new user is genuine.
The dangers linked to social media cloning are multifaceted and intricate. Cloned accounts can solicit money from the victim’s friends and family by fabricating emergencies or financial crises. They can also be used to send malicious links or attachments or extract personal data about yourself and friends. In other cases, they can compromise the account holders’ reputation by posting inappropriate or illegal content. Worst, they can even try to shut down your legitimate account by reporting you as the impostor.
One of the most immediate signs of account cloning is when your friends receive new friend requests from an account that appears to be yours. If your contacts mention receiving a friend request from you while they are already connected to your legitimate account, this is a red flag. Or if your friends inform you that they have received strange messages or requests from an account claiming to be you, your profile will likely be cloned. Always encourage your friends to verify suspicious communications by contacting you through another channel.
Regularly searching for your name on social media platforms can help you identify cloned profiles. It could be a clone if you find another account with your name and similar photos but different friends or activities. Please note that many people share similar names, so look for differences in the profile details. If you notice unfamiliar activities associated with your account, this could indicate that someone has gained unauthorized access to your real account. While this is more characteristic of hacking than cloning, it is essential to monitor both seriously. Regularly check your account settings and activity logs for any unauthorized changes.
If you suspect your social media profile has been cloned, report the cloned account immediately. You can use the reporting facilities available on social media platforms to alert them about the impersonating accounts. Most platforms have specific procedures for handling cloning cases. Finally, report the case to the authorities.
Notify your friends about the cloned account so they can avoid engaging with it. This helps reduce the potential for scams targeting them. Raise awareness among friends and family about the dangers of social media account cloning and encourage them to be cautious about friend requests and messages that seem out of character. Finally, we should review and tighten our social media privacy settings by limiting what information is publicly visible—setting our profile to be visible only to friends rather than the public reduces the amount of information available for potential clones.
The rise of social media cloning represents a significant challenge in our increasingly digital world. As individuals and businesses navigate the complexities of online interactions, the dangers of cloned profiles and AI-generated impersonations continue to escalate. These malicious practices threaten personal privacy and financial security and undermine trust in social media platforms as safe spaces for communication.
Victims of cloning often experience emotional distress and reputational damage, while platforms struggle to implement effective measures against such fraudulent activities. To combat these threats, users must remain vigilant, utilize robust security practices, and advocate for stronger regulations that hold perpetrators accountable. Ultimately, as technology and cybercriminals' tactics evolve, so must our strategies for safeguarding authenticity and integrity in our online lives.
Ultimately, the responsibility for safeguarding our online identities lies with each of us.
(The author is an executive member of the National Innovation Council, lead convener of the Alliance for Technology Innovators for the Nation (ATIN), vice president of the Analytics and AI Association of the Philippines, and vice president of UP System Information Technology Foundation. ([email protected]))