The Army wants help to eradicate fake social media accounts
Apparently, the Army is becoming aware of the Nigerian princes who are pretending to be members of the military. We have been aware of it for a long time. Read the Facebook comments on this post from nearly four years ago where victims come to tell us about their experiences. Anyway, according to Federal News Radio, the Army is looking for someone to help them find, monitor and destroy fake accounts on social media;
The Army is looking for help from a vendor to find, monitor and get rid of imposter social media accounts.
Among the capabilities the Army is looking for a vendor to provide are “an existing commercially available, user-friendly, web-based solution to monitor and mitigate imposter profiles on social media platforms. A solution that is automated and secure (not susceptible to hacking). The ability to query at a minimum, but not limited to the following social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Skype, Instagram and YouTube as well as the ability to include new/additional social media networks as they arise.”
They wouldn’t need to contract for someone to do that if Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Skype, Instagram and YouTube took the threat seriously. Every time that I complain about fake accounts, the providers listed above wave me off and tell me not to worry about it. When I can identify the victims who have had their images and identities appropriated, I warn them personally and even then those providers aren’t at all responsive to reports of hijacked images an identities.
So, good luck, Army.
Thanks to Chief Tango for the link.
Category: Army News
Trump will help fix this or stick his giant business boot up their asses.
Maybe
Possibly.
Hopefully.
Of them all, I use LinkedIn, and that not very much.
This may shift to not at all, after reading this.
And why just Big Army? This should be a DOD full court press. Looking at you, Navy.
https://www.facebook.com/Stop-Fake-Military-Romance-Scammers-272987476199270/ Heres a site I help with once in a while. The problem is epidemic.
I looked at the photos on the site and there was chevy’s picture.
I am so tired of receiving these friend request from these fakes. I report some of them and have actually tracked down one person that his pictures were being used by a fake. He said he was trying to get Facebook to remove the person that was doing it.
Some of the problem is that when one account is closed the fake starts up another one.
I would have no problem with friending a military person or even contractors, but it is getting harder to pick out the fakes unless I carry on a conversation with them. Usually the fake person doesn’t know how to type in English language too well so that is one way I can tell. I am very wary of an account that has just been started and with a few pictures only. So I don’t know anymore so I just delete the request they send me.
I do so and hope that I am not turning down someone that is not a fake and just simply decided to start a Facebook account.
“Usually the fake person doesn’t know how to type in English language too well so that is one way I can tell.”
How do you know they’re not Marines?
BAM! Valid point RV
Cut off the princes! remove the head and the snake will die!
And the Army now cares why? Anyone? Bueller?
Here’s another site that does what they can to tell everyone they are fakes. https://www.facebook.com/MilitaryRomances/
I used to help out there. These scammers will delete an account and make a new one with the same stolen pics. Ask SGT Ramos his pictures were used so many times a TV station did an interview with him.
Here’s the thing. Who advertises he is a Veteran? “Hi. Nice to meet you. I’m a Veteran.” Whether in person or on social media, offering one’s Veteran status to the world is immediately suspect. And introduce oneself as a hero type and that seals it. It’s different if two people are chatting and whether one served is inquired about, but to just put it out there? Run, ladies.
You’re being too generous, Cav, with folks who don’t know the difference between cavalry and calvary…
Had a retired LTC Methodist pastor guilty of that. Great guy, bad pronunciation.
In church is -is- the Calvary to the rescue!
It’s kind of like the scam phone calls for “Windows Tech Support”. As soon as they shut one down, it seems like 10 more pop up in its place, and to be honest, I don’t think there’s any real penalty being able to be meted out to any of them. I’ve had one or two contact me, which I really enjoy dragging on to see how long before they finally realize that they aren’t getting anywhere fast with me. As 2/17 Air Cav states, who in their right mind goes and starts anything with “I’m a veteran”?
https://www.facebook.com/MilitaryRomances/
Tackett Barry sure the hell looks like Lars.
Here’s the thing… You can’t stamp them out fast enough to make a dent. It’s worse than fighting a roach infestation with a flyswatter. Efforts at reducing this crap must be focused instead on educating potential victims. Like a roach invasion, the first step is to eliminate the food source.
Engaging them can be fun… But first make your own fake profile… Never play with them from your RL persona.
I hate me some computers…
But I hate me some fake POS liar more.
Give me a job DOD, I won’t let you down…as long as there’s coffee.
Gotta have coffee.
Speaking of social fakes, what’s the word on dishonored fleet photographer-lower half, Birdbath? Did he find a way to weasel out of the March 7th appearance in Chesapeake?
Yea, it was posted in one of yesterdays articles. Apparently he got a continuation whatever to Apr 17 or something.
I am admin of http://www.scampolicegroup.com. ( Ex UK Army vet with 17 years experience of these scammers and some of you and your admins know me.) These sites are not interested in removing customers who look good in the numbers game to shareholders and provide click advertising revenue. There is some photo recognition software that could make a difference in part but it is not the complete story. It is not a whole solution by far. We publish photos and the texts used by scammers, phone numbers and email addresses. Our message is education of potential victims and data provision for search engines. It still presents profound problems and the real solution is human intervention which costs money. Whatever we do makes some difference but we still get failure rates that are too high and people still send money. Yesterdays reported loss was $115,000 of all of a victims retirement money.
https://www.facebook.com/DEFEATCRIME/
I once received a scam-mail that said:
“I can prove this is not a Nigerian 419 scam. I am South African.”
Genius!