[nabs-l] Facebook security

[Kaiti Shelton]

Hi all,

I know this isn't academic or school-related, but I'm wondering how
you all screen for potentially fake or malicious facebook accounts in
your friend requests.  Sometimes I find it difficult to figure out if
the request is coming from someone I know who just has their privacy
settings set high, or if it is a copy of that person's account that is
being controled by a pirate.

For example: I just got a request tonight from a woman I've known for
a long time.  I've seen her on facebook before in my suggested friends
but didn't make the move to friend her myself as I was volunteering in
a semi-professional capacity under her.  When I got the request from
her I couldn't see any of the details I would have expected to see on
her profile, but I wasn't sure if it was a privacy thing or if it was
fake.  I searched and found that someone had created a second account,
but I couldn't go by mutual friends to figure out which one was real
as mutual friends had apparently friended this other account.  I ended
up accepting, quickly looking at the profile, and deciding it was a
fake before I quickly unfriended again.

I know sighted people use pictures to figure out very easily if
accounts are fake or not, but obviously we don't have that option.
Furthermore, it is hard when the person being hacked is blind because
not all blind people choose to even use profile and cover photos on
their real facebook pages, making them look like they might be the
fake account when they are not.  I really don't want to be friending
these pirates and playing russian roulette because I know that
compromises your own account security, and while I don't post a lot on
facebook I do use it for messaging so I wouldn't want to be hacked
myself.

I'll be interested to hear the methods you all use.  Thanks.