Social media expert has a warning about attractive "friend requests"

Do you ever see "friend requests" or other images in your social media accounts that make you do a double-take?

COVERAGE CONTINUES HERE AT10-30, I’M JANE MONREALALONGSIDE PATRICK NOLAN.THESE DAYS WE COULD ALL USE MOREFRIENDS, RIGHT?

BUT WHEN ITCOMES TO FACEBOOK ... THAT’S NOTALWAYS THE CASE.ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU GET REQUESTSFROM PEOPLE WHO MIGHT LOOKINTRIGUING ..SEEMINGLY LOOKINGFOR ROMANCE..WITH YOU ..

BUTARE KIND OF ..

MYSTERIOUS.TONIGHT, I’M SHOWING YOU WHAT IFOUND ABOUT REQUESTS FROM PEOPLEWHO REALLY AREN’T YOUR FRIENDS.all00-1541-46125-135(NATS)AS THE OWNER OF "CAPE CORAL YOGAAND PILATES", HEATHER HOPEMILLER, HAS TO SPEND AT LEASTSOME OF HER TIME...(36;38)HEATHER HOPE-MILLER/OWNER, CAPECORAL YOGA & PILATES: : Sohere’s the page....ON SOCIAL MEDIA.(37:00)HEATHER HOPE MILLER/OWNER, CAPECORAL YOGA & PILATES: : See newsfeed, updates and inbox.

Like Ihave five new messages.THERE’S ALSO OTHER STUFFFLOATING AROUND.(35:39)PATRICK TO HEATHER: I want tocall it like eye candy or clickbait.STUFF SHE AND YOU MAY NOT BELOOKING FOR, AND AT THE SAMETIME, CAN BE HARD TO MISS.(2:25 - 2:32)PATRICK: Have you ever noticedin use of Facebook and stuffthat you get these Facebookrequests that don’t look real?HEATHER HOPE-MILLER/OWNER, CAPECORAL YOGA & PILATES: Yes.SHE’S ALSO FIGURED OUT HOW TO BEHER OWN FILTER.(2:38-2:43)HEATHER HOPE-MILLER/OWNER, CAPECORAL YOGA & PILATES: I normallydon’t even look, I just kind ofdelete ’em, right before,because I’ve been hacked!(GENERIC hacking and Facebookshots)AND HACKING ISN’T THE ONLYREASON TO AVOID WHAT - OR WHO -MAY CATCH YOUR EYE ...ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TOFRIEND REQUESTS.(ZOOM INTERVIEW: :30--:39)KELLI BURNS, Ph.D./USF ASSOCIATEPROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATIONS: Iget them from like olderdistinguished looking men.Sometimes they’re wearing scrubsor something, so it’s like "Ohis he a doctor?!(LEAVE up shot of Kelli’s zoominv)KELLI BURNS ... STUDIES SOCIALMEDIA ..(https://www.facebook.com/ksburns)...IN HER ROLE AS AN ASSOCIATECOMMUNICATIONS PROFESSOR ATUNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA INTAMPA.(SHOTS OF Kelly and her husbandfrom her page or her husband’s:https://www.facebook.com/corburns )THOUGH HER PROFILE CLEARLY SHOWSHER HAPPILY MARRIED.

SHE STILLGETS THOSE FRIEND REQUESTSACCOMPANIED BY PICTURES OF MENTHAT LOOK LIKE THEY’RE OUT OFROMCOM.(Zoom interview :40--1:07)KELLI BURNS, Ph.D./USF ASSOCIATEPROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATIONS:He’ll be with his dog or maybewith like a kid but there’sobviously no wife in thepicture.

And it’s like look atthis single doctor with a kidand a dog.

(chuckles) PATRICK:What is the idea behind thesethings?

What’s your take onthis?

KELLI BURNS, Ph.D./USFASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OFCOMMUNICATIONS: Yeah, whilethere are a lot of people whocreate fake profiles to try tobecome friends with people onFacebook.AND THE FAKERS GET A BOOST FROMA FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY YOUMAY HAVE FROM SEEING SOME OFYOUR *REAL FACEBOOK CIRCLELISTED AS MUTUAL FRIENDS.(3:37-3:55 )KELLI BURNS, Ph.D./USF ASSOCIATEPROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATIONS:This is what they do, they justblast out friend requests.

Andmaybe some of your friends fallfor it.

And then when thisperson asks to be our friend,you see oh well, they’re friendswith 5 people that I know somaybe this is somebody I shouldconnect with as well.

But youshould be suspicIous aboutanybody that you do not know.SUSPICIOUS AND FOCUSED, SINCEJUST YOU BEING DISTRACTED CAN BETHEIR WAY IN.(yoga interview 31:53)Because it’s a slip of the hand.I have accidentally hit accept,I’ve accidentally hit links.(1:00--1:22)KELLI BURNS, Ph.D./USF ASSOCIATEPROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATIONS: Andonce they are your friend, theyhave access to a lot ofinformation about you.

Not onlywhere you live, where you’vegone to school.

But maybe whereyour kids are going to school.Where you’re going on vacation.And they might take advantage ofyou in some way.THE PROBLEM IS - SOMETIMES -EVEN WHEN DO KNOW BETTER, THEVISUALS CAN BE TOUGH TO RESIST.(2:32 - 2:35)PATRICK: It almost seems to playon - you want to hit accept -doesn’t it?( 2:58 - 3:20)KELLI BURNS, Ph.D./USF ASSOCIATEPROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATIONS: Itdoes give you a little jolt or alittle pride in yourself.

(3:01)But you should not think thepeople friend-ing you, lookanything like the profile.

Theymight be a completely differentperson.

There might be oneperson creating many of thesedifferent profiles (3:14) to swhich pictures appeal to whichkind of people.

(3:17) And whatpeople will click on.CASE IN POINT, A REQUEST ONE OFOUR COLLEAGUES AT FOX 4RECEIVED.

IT SHOWED A SMILINGBLONDE WOMAN AND A PROFILE THATREAD "I’M A LOTTERY WINNER - I’MGIVING AWAY 10,000 DOLLARS FORCOVID RELIEF." OUR COLLEAGUEACCEPTED THE REQUEST, AND THENSTARTED GETTING NOTES ONFACEBOOK MESSENGER, ASKING IF HEWAS INTERESTED IN THE 10 GRAND.(screen shots of messengermessages from Jason S’s phone)AND ASKING IF HE HAD A CASH APPTO SEND 50 BUCKS FOR A SO-CALLED"ACTIVATION FEE." YOU KNOWWHERE THIS IS GOING, RIGHT?

BUTWHAT THE PERSON SENDING OURCOLLEAGUE THE NOTES DIDN’T KNOWWHAT THAT OUR COLLEAGUE WAS ONTOTHE SCAM.

AND TURNED THE TABLES,EVENTUALLY FIGURING OUT THE SAMEPERSON WAS BEHIND MULTIPLE FAKEFACEBOOK PROFILES.

WHENCONFRONTED VIA MESSENGER, THEPERSON EVENTUALLY SAID HE WAS A17 YEAR OLD MAN LIVING INNIGERIA.

AND WHEN OUR COLLEAGUEASKED FOR AN INTERVIEW VIA ZOOM,THE GUY SAID HE WOULD ONLY DO IT- BUT ONLY FOR MONEY!(1:24- 1:46)PATRICK: I think a lot of usthink we’re savvy enough to spotthe scam.

But, sometimes it’sfrustrating, just because youkeep getting the requests, whichcan you make you think, "Issomeone out there think I’m adope?

Am I on that list?" How doyou make those stop?

KELLIBURNS, Ph.D./USF ASSOCIATEPROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATIONS:Right, well the more you justsay no, decline, block thosekinds of people, the fewer youwill tend to get.AND SHE WARNS AGAINST GIVINGINTO CURIOSITY - NO MATTER HOWINTRIGUING THE PICTURES MAY BE.(1:50-2:00)KELLI BURNS, Ph.D./USF ASSOCIATEPROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATIONS:Don’t click on these profiles.Don’t look at them.

Because youare sending a messageFacebook that you interested inconnecting to people you have noconnection to in the real world.THAT’S THE WORLD HEATHER ISSTICKING TO - AFTER REALIZINGSOCIAL MEDIA ISN’T ALWAYS WHATIT SEEMS.(:40)HEATHER HOPE-MILLER/CAPE CORALYOGA & PILATES: Have know ideawho people are.AND DOESN’T DESERVE ALL THE TIMEAND ENERGY SHE ONCE GAVE IT.(5;06)HEATHER HOPE-MILLER/CAPE CORYOGA & PILATES: I had to stepback.

I know what’s real in mycircle.AND YOU CAN SEE THE SCREEN SHOTSTHAT REVEAL HOW OUR COLLEAGUE ATFOX 4 TURNED THE TABLES ON THEMAN WHO EVENTUALLY SAID HE WASCREATING FAKE PROFILES