5
   

Facebook password request spam

 
 
Reply Thu 18 Apr, 2013 03:30 pm
It's been 2 years since I got this problem. I keep getting mails from Facebook telling me I requested a new password, but I didn't ask for them. As you can see in the next two pictures, if I filter my Inbox I get 22 conversations about me requesting a new password.

http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y392/ArielRdz/fb1_zpsfcc57709.jpg
http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y392/ArielRdz/fb2_zps1a344a1c.jpg

If you pay close attention to the conversations, you can see that almost all of them contain more than one mail. For example, on August 8 2012 I got 8 messages about the same thing that day. During this year I have received twice the conversations I got last one, and it's been only four months!

Another important detail is in the second picture. Maybe you noticed that I received on May 25 2010 a similar message. The message reads:

"Hey Juan,

You recently requested a new password..."

My name on both Facebook and e-mail user is not Juan. Afterwards, I thought someone named Juan may have a similar username, but at the same time it made no sense because all of my accounts' usernames have to do with my first and last name. I disregarded that message, thinking it was some kind of bug.

Next year, 2011, it was when all started. At first I thought it was some kind stalker, but then I realized that no one would be that persistent. I don't know if it has something to do with the Juan thing, and I would be very surprised that someone named Juan had a similar username to mine and mistyped it very often.

Now, let me show you what all the messages show me when I open them.

from: Facebook <[email protected]>
reply-to: Facebook <[email protected]>
to: Ariel XXXXXX <[email protected]>
date: Thu, Apr 18, 2013 at 10:35 AM
subject: You requested a new Facebook password
mailed-by: facebookmail.com
signed-by: facebookmail.com

Hi Ariel,

You recently asked to reset your Facebook password.
Click here to change your password.

Alternatively, you can enter the following password reset code:
xxxxxx
Didn't request this change?
If you didn't request a new password, let us know immediately
Change Password
This message was sent to [email protected] at your request.
Facebook, Inc., Attention: Department 415, PO Box 10005, Palo Alto, CA 94303

The underlined texts are URL's and the blue text is a button which has the same link of the first underlined text. Of course every time I receive this message I click the "let us know..." text. After clicking it, I am send into a new window or tab which opens Facebook telling me that someone may have mistaken my account name and to make public my profile picture so people won't make the same mistake again. I have never clicked the change password text, but it also contains a facebook.com link.

I found funny how Facebook keeps telling me the same thing after disavowing many times their reset email. Of course I don't believe someone is mistyping his username after many attempts. I think it would be nice of Facebook to tell me where did the request come from, such as when you secure your account for logging into different locations (IP).

Finally, another detail I want to add is that my privacy settings are set in the highest possible. This means no one can add or message me, and also that my profile cannot be searched by any means. The only people who can see my whole Timeline are my friends, and the only public activity I have is when I comment on Fan Pages or other users' posts.

My questions are simple, and I also hope the answers are. Is there any explanation to this problem? Has anyone experienced the same thing? Are these mails fake even though they have official Facebook links and feedbacks? Who is Juan?

I have been searching for answers on Google, but most of them are old and some others have to do with Trojans as attachments and obviously fake mails.
 
View best answer, chosen by ArielRdz
jespah
 
  3  
Reply Thu 18 Apr, 2013 04:20 pm
@ArielRdz,
These are all fakes. Delete them, or report them to your service provider. The name "Juan" is likely something the phishers are just pulling out of their collective ass, and means absolutely nothing.
ArielRdz
 
  1  
Reply Thu 18 Apr, 2013 05:54 pm
@jespah,
Thanks jespah, I really like your answer and it's probably the most logical. I would like to know why these mails contain Facebook URL's that work, and if it is common to have that amount of spam or if I have been targeted by something o someone to give away my password.
Butrflynet
  Selected Answer
 
  5  
Reply Thu 18 Apr, 2013 06:12 pm
@ArielRdz,
Make sure that your anti-virus and anti-spam software are up to date. Make sure your operating system and other most used software are up to date.

Consider running a web-based scan of your computer to confirm that no malware or nefarious scripts are residing on your computer.

Don't open, or if you have, don't respond or click on any links in those emails.

You'll find some of the most helpful advice and clean-up software at the majorgeeks.com forum.
evelyn2
 
  1  
Reply Thu 18 Jul, 2013 04:12 am
@Butrflynet,
i have n account at face book and i want you to help in closing it since i can not have access to it
evelyn2
 
  0  
Reply Thu 18 Jul, 2013 04:13 am
@evelyn2,
please help to close my account
0 Replies
 
Chris Schiffer
 
  1  
Reply Thu 29 Aug, 2013 02:24 pm
@ArielRdz,
It may well be that someone else has managed to register your e-mail address on their account. This happened to me.

.. And I don't even have a facebook account, never had nor ever will.

A year ago some bloke on another continent managed to add my e-mail address to his account. Since then I've been spammed with a bunch of facebook updates until I (like you) finally suspected that it couldn't be an ordinary phishing attack, due to the persistence (constant stream) of facebook messages.

So I tried to use my email address with facebook's password reset function and received a confirmation that my e-mail indeed was registered to some account. I reset the password just to lock the bloke out. To stop the notification stream of his "friend updates" I tried also logging in to the account in search for a account deletion button, but was stopped by a facebook security feature. I got shown pictures of some random indian people and was asked to identify them before facebook would let me login fully. How the heck should I know who they were, I just wanted the spamming to stop. (Security feature here protected the "culprit" from the legitimate custodian of the e-mail address, a complete reversal of how the feature was likely envisioned. Guess they didn't map out that alternative flow when they designed the system)

So I continued to get crap messages and password reset mail like yours from an account neither I nor (now) "mr indian bloke" could access. The final remedy for the insane situation was a long mail exchange with Facebook support and they finally yanked my e-mail address from any account that had it registered, and the spamming ceased.

This little story is just to show that the mistake could very well be at facebook's end and not necessarily be the result of ordinary spammers or hackers. Even big companies make mistakes every now and then.

My advice is to contact Facebook support and notify them of your problem. It may well be that a similar registration scenario (double registration in your case, as I read it you do have your own facebook account) around your e-mail has taken place. If so they should be able to help you out, though you may need to be *very* persistent and describe the situation as you would to a three year old.

EDIT: A piece of advice.
When the Facebook support rep. asks you to send an image of your photo ID for identification purpose, ask them to explain that purpose. Also inform them that Photo IDs don't have e-mail addresses printed on them and as such are useless as authentication tokens for proving e-mail ownership. They *will* ask you for idiotic stuff like this without thinking, as it's part of their laminated conversation script handed to them by their management. You just need to make the support rep's own brain cells activate and after that you may have a more constructive dialog.
0 Replies
 
dreamheart
 
  -1  
Reply Fri 31 Jan, 2014 12:29 pm
@ArielRdz,
Facebook <password [email protected]>
to: Ariel 01688231757 [email protected]
Davy konkhmer
 
  1  
Reply Fri 13 Mar, 2015 09:14 am
@dreamheart,
415
0 Replies
 
 

 
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