Netlore Archive: Viral alert circulating on Facebook warns users not to accept friend requests from Bobby Roberts, an alleged hacker.
Description: Facebook rumor
Circulating since: March 2011
Status: False
Example:
As posted on Facebook, Aug. 9, 2011:
DO NOT ACCEPT FRIEND REQUESTS FROM ~~~ BOBBY ROBERTS ~~~ Profile ...picture is four colored pictures ~~ A hacker and fake name !!!! the name will DESTROY EVERYTHING!!! PLEASE... COPY THIS TEXT ON YOUR STATUS SO THAT YOUR FRIENDS ARE WARNED************* PASS THIS ALONG.
Analysis: Probable prank. There are scores of Facebook users named Bobby Roberts, and though it's possible that one of them could be a hacker using an assumed name, considering the specifics of the case it's much more likely that some innocent person named Bobby Roberts has either been mistaken for an evildoer or pranked by one of his "friends."
Accepting other members' friend requests can give them access to some of your personal information (depending on the privacy settings you've selected), but it doesn't enable them to wreak havoc on your account, let alone "destroy everything" (whatever that's supposed to mean). They would need your password to do that.
The Bobby Roberts alert is similar to existing Facebook hoaxes claiming that accepting friend requests from particular users will cause a virus to be downloaded to your computer (see Linda Smith, Jason Lee, and Amy Allen virus warnings). It also closely resembles known email hoaxes such as the Simon Ashton and Christopher Butterfield hacker warnings.
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Recommended articles:
Facebook Security, Safety, and Privacy
About.com: Internet/Network SecurityHow to Tell a Facebook Friend from a Facebook Hacker
About.com: Internet/Network Security
Sources and further reading:
Bobby Roberts Hacker Chain Letter Spreads Quickly on Facebook
Sophos.com Naked Security blog, 17 March 2011
Last updated 08/09/11
