Christopher Davies and Jessica Davies Friend Request Warning-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
Warnings not to accept friend requests from hackers known as Christopher Davies or Jessica Davies because they will steal your personal information have been circulating for years.
The Truth:
Warnings not to accept social media friend requests from Christopher Davies or Jessica Davies have been circulating for years, but there have never been any confirmed reports of anyone’s computer being hacked through a friend request.
Many different versions of the Christopher Davies friend request warning can be found on social media sites, especially Facebook, dating as far back as 2009. In the vast majority of them, the poster doesn’t have first-hand knowledge of anyone falling victim to friend request hackers, but they’re passing it along as a precautionary warning:
Do not accept friend requests from Christopher Davies and Jessica Davies, they are hackers. Tell everyone on your lists because if they accept it they will be on your list too. He will find out your computer IP address, so copy and paste to everyone you know.
And friend request warnings similar to the Christopher Davies and Jessica Davies one have been circulating as far back as 2004. These threats usually name a specific user or account holder and claim that adding them as a friend will infect your computer with a virus or expose your personal information to them. Here’s an example of one early version that circulated on MSN Messenger:
if somebody by the name [email protected] adds you…don’t accept it.. it’s a virus. Tell everybody on ur bulletin because if somebody on ur list adds them, u get the virus too. Tell everyone on ur list not to open anything from angell11, tewwtuler and sassybitch. It is a hard drive killer and a very horrible virus. Pass this letter to everyone on ur buddy list. RIght click on the group name of your buddy list and click Send Messages to all
The Christopher Davies and Jessica Davies hacker warning follows the same format, only the names and social media platforms have been changed to make it more current. Still, there have been no reports of hackers using friend request to hack into computers or to steal IP computer addresses, and that doesn’t appear to be possible.
That’s not to say, however, that there aren’t any hacks or schemes involving friend requests. The Better Business Bureau warned in 2015 about a “Facebook Cloning Scam” in which schemers re-create individuals’ Facebook accounts and re-friend their entire contact list to create an imposter account. Fox DC reported on Facebook cloning scams targeting people in the DC area in 2016:
It is a simple concept: a scammer steals Facebook pictures and information from a legitimate page to create a clone page. The con artist then connects with that person’s friends and tries to get money or information for identity theft.
It happened recently to a Montgomery County man. Zeus Mitchell Paredes said someone took his unique name and his profile picture and created a new account.
Facebook cloning scam targets potential victims with simple friend request
“My friends were saying, ‘Hey, somebody created a fake Facebook profile of you with your picture,’” Paredes said.
He said the imposter sent friend requests to his Facebook friends and started sending them messages.
“One of my friends said they were also asking for money,” said Paredes.
Cyber experts said it is an easy way for scammers to prey on people.
“They will say things like, ‘Oh, I’m out of state or in another country, and I lost my wallet. Can you send me $5,000 or $500?’” said Reginald Corbitt, who runs a cyber security organization called SafeCyber.
As a general practice, Facebook advises users never to accept friend requests from people they aren’t familiar with, and never to accept friend requests from people they’re already friends with. While the warning not to accept friend requests from Christopher Davies or Jessica Davies is unfounded, schemers can use friend requests to steal your identity or to defraud your friends and family members.