Facebook message - Is this a scam?

JimmyTheWig

Hi,

I got this message on Facebook from someone I've never heard of...

Subject: family

"Hi sorry to trouble you but are you related to X married Y who may or may not be your grandparents, if so woulod you know a Z dob 1947 from A i know ita a long shot but have been trying to find Z for ages,"

Now, X and Y are my grandparents. I have never heard of Z but could obviously ask my mum.


But is this legitimate? Where has this person found me from? I don't think I've ever posted my grandparents' names on the internet.
But I can't see what scam they would be trying. Other than the fact that they have my mother's maiden name.
Should I ignore, report or try to be helpful?


Thanks,

Jim

Feel free to move if this is in the wrong place.

BigLee_24

Do you have any friends in common?? Have you tried asking other members of your family if they know them??

TonyMMM

Sounds like someone trying to track down lost family/friends to me .... in the past, they may have just rung people with the same surname from the phonebook - now they are looking up people online. Sounds like you have a long lost relative ...might be interesting !

JimmyTheWig

No friends in common, but don't have many family on my facebook...

I agree it sounds like someone tracking down an old friend.
But still not sure how they found me from my mum's side of the family as the surnames don't match.

But equally, I can't think of any way how this information would help them...

BigLee_24

I dont see the harm in accepting them and having a bit chat but remain on your guard.... any requests for money etc and get them deleted.... If it turns out you do know them bonus you found a lost friend.... If not go on their profile page at the bottom left handside click on remove as friend.... If only it was a simple in life lol....

Also worth noting that in personal details its always best to not have the DOB showing or at least not the year but that could just be me being over cautious...... :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

edsks

It would be pretty easy to trace down the generations using something like ancestry.com. It seems to me that they have done something like that and found a name e.g. John Smith and now they are using facebook to find all the John Smith in perhaps the same area where they were born to try to find the right John Smith in their tree.

JimmyTheWig

Thanks all.

I think that's the sort of reassurance I was after, edsks - that there was a legitimate way to have found me.

Am still surprised that the email didn't mention my mum's name which they would have had to have found to get to me from my grandparents, but never mind.
Have given them my mum's email address and will see what happens...

BillScarab

I had a similar thing happen. A total stanger ask me if I knew a particular person. They were just asking everyone with my name as they were trying to track someone down. They did explain it a bit better though when they asked me.