20 crore fake Facebook accounts in India, mainly used for election campaigns; 93 crore fake accounts banned globally

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: According to Facebook, there are 20 crore fake accounts in India. 93 crore fake accounts have been banned all over the world.

Fake accounts are used to extort money, misrepresent women and campaign for elections. These accounts are mostly operated in the name of girls.

According to cyber police, up to 50 fake accounts can be created simultaneously through different IP addresses. A week ago, a message was circulated in the name of a retired bank manager from Pongummudu in Thiruvananthapuram, demanding Rs 18,000 from many people. The user tried to cheat by sending a message on WhatsApp from another number using the photo on Facebook. Suspicious friends brought it to the attention of the manager. Then he complained to the cyber police. In Truecaller, the names of Rajasthan natives appeared.

Connected messages

The message will appear as if it is from a friend's account. If you don't respond, another message will come from another familiar friend's profile. The message will be regarding the silence after receiving the friend's message. With this, the person will believe the message was from a real friend.

Be careful with passwords

• Passwords should be strong to prevent accounts from being hacked.
• Do not use date of birth, vehicle number, residential number as password.
• Check the information on the 'About Me' page of the account and immediately block and report the account if the information is incomplete.
• If most of the people in the friends list are unfamiliar, the account may be fake
• Cyber help number- 1930