# Facebook scam; what's the deal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 21, 2013, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-scam-whats-the-deal/656280 "2013-04-21T02:46:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-scam-whats-the-deal/656280/1 "2013-04-21T02:46:15Z")
Occasionally, some hot young babe will friend me on Facebook. Since I don’t know them, they don’t know me, and I ignore them. I’m not opposed to HYBs, but come on. What do they want with me, right? So I get one a while ago, but she’s got 3 mutual friends with me, all guys from high school. Her join date is yesterday, but I figure she’s someone’s daughter just building numbers, or something, I don’t know. I accepted. 10 minutes later, I get a message from her. She can’t talk right now, but text her my number and we’ll chat. Riiiight. I un-friended her so I don’t have to deal with her, but I’m still curious. What’s the deal? I’m sure there’s a scam somewhere if I start texting some chickie, but what is it? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-scam-whats-the-deal/656280/2 "2013-04-21T02:48:42Z")
If I had to guess, “she’s” probably just phishing for cell phones numbers to send spam texts to. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-scam-whats-the-deal/656280/3 "2013-04-21T04:19:02Z")
Now you’ll never get into the Illuminati. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-scam-whats-the-deal/656280/4 "2013-04-21T05:32:18Z")
Yeah, these kinds of ‘too good to be true’ things are generally information miners. Enough people are aware of the dangers of using credit cards on untrustworthy sites that many scammers are turning elsewhere. As **Joey P** mentioned, often they’re looking for something less obvious like a phone number that they can sell to someone else. A popular alternative is the ‘like-harvester’, a page with some cute image which you are encouraged to like; once enough likes are gathered, the owner sells the page to some semi-scammy company that will turn it into an advertising page with a pre-made reputation. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-scam-whats-the-deal/656280/5 "2013-04-21T15:11:57Z")
I’m surprised they still exist. I haven’t gotten one since Facebook started punishing people who add people they don’t have any way of knowing in real life. If you’re wondering, I think it works as follows: If you add someone and they decline, they must either be in your email contacts, have friends in common, live nearby, or otherwise be in your “people you may know” list. Otherwise, you’re account will be locked and you will have to go through several prompts promising you’ll stop adding people you don’t know. If you don’t comply after that, your account will be banned from adding friends. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-scam-whats-the-deal/656280/6 "2013-04-21T15:17:56Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I’m surprised they still exist. I haven’t gotten one since Facebook started punishing people who add people they don’t have any way of knowing in real life. > > If you’re wondering, I think it works as follows: If you add someone and they decline, they must either be in your email contacts, have friends in common, live nearby, or otherwise be in your “people you may know” list. Otherwise, you’re account will be locked and you will have to go through several prompts promising you’ll stop adding people you don’t know. If you don’t comply after that, your account will be banned from adding friends. I’ve never heard of that. You’re telling me that if I request you as a friend on facebook (or a new work friend or new girlfriend etc) that I’ll get ‘punished’. That’s news to me. ---
**Author:** ![Animastryfe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Animastryfe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Animastryfe)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-scam-whats-the-deal/656280/7 "2013-04-21T15:26:34Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I’ve never heard of that. You’re telling me that if I request you as a friend on facebook (or a new work friend or new girlfriend etc) that I’ll get ‘punished’. That’s news to me. Only if the other person declines. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-scam-whats-the-deal/656280/8 "2013-04-21T15:54:30Z")
> [@Animastryfe](#): > > Only if the other person declines. Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-scam-whats-the-deal/656280/9 "2013-04-21T15:57:33Z")
What? You mean if I friend a person I knew in high school, and they decline the request (probably because we haven’t spoken in 15 years, or they don’t remember me), I get punished somehow? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-scam-whats-the-deal/656280/10 "2013-04-21T16:10:24Z")
> [@Skara\_Brae](#): > > What? You mean if I friend a person I knew in high school, and they decline the request (probably because we haven’t spoken in 15 years, or they don’t remember me), I get punished somehow? Based on what they’re saying, no, because you’d likely have friends in common. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-scam-whats-the-deal/656280/11 "2013-04-21T16:54:36Z")
When you decline a friendship there is a second step that asks if you know the person IRL or not. I suppose if the person responds “Yes, I know them in real life” you are not punished (or, no flags go in to your “Will be punished” queue.) I’ve declined people I know IRL before, and was honest that I know them. Hopefully others are too.