You Will No Longer Accept Friend Requests From Strangers on Facebook for These Reasons
Since social media platforms serve as gathering places for many users, you frequently get requests from strangers on sites like Facebook. Although this may seem completely harmless, the truth is that it is not, and there are several reasons why you should never accept these requests.
It is impossible to know who is making this request and, more importantly, what their actual motivations are, despite the fact that it may appear extremely panicked. It is best to delete these requests as soon as you receive them and make sure they are not someone you have met in the last few weeks.
We will discuss the reasons these requests are denied after the recommendation. The first reason is a possible case of identity theft, because Facebook is a social network where photos and information about family ties, work, and personal life in general are published.
Criminals can take advantage of all this information to create an online profile with this data and thus impersonate that person. It is not uncommon nowadays if we consider the number of fake profiles that exist and are created over the days, whether on Facebook or on X for example.
The second reason is that by accepting a request from an unknown person, you are giving them access to see your data and interact with you. By being able to interact, they will be able to comment on your photos as well as your posts, and they will be able to write any kind of hurtful comments or, worse, spam.
The spam they can create can and will very likely include links to phishing sites and is therefore designed to steal data from any user who accesses these types of links.
The final reason not to accept friend requests from strangers on Facebook focuses on privacy. It’s not so much about privacy within the social network but about access to the information we provide to people we’re friends with on Facebook.
By accepting a request of this type, you expose yourself to this person, telling them your office hours, your vacation periods, and the people you live with. It is not difficult to find behavioral patterns from this data and for these people to be able to do something in real life.
Also, don't forget that all sorts of criminals use Facebook, and the media has often talked about how underage users are being scammed. They are an obvious target for scam victims. Sometimes the victim is tricked into sending money to a scammer under the false pretense that they are in some kind of online relationship.
In addition to these types of problems, contact with strangers can also cause isolation. One may become stuck on the computer and never leave the house or contact friends again. Natural social interaction with people is also essential.