Any Facebook experts? Virus?

spud17

Firstly I've never joined Facebook or had any involvement with it.

On the 8th August I received 2 emails from an old friend, both via her Hotmail.

Both appear to be a bog standard Facebook invite template.

The first to 'me@gmail. com' was an invite to become a friend, it used my first name, but first I'd have to join and a link was supplied.

The link goes to a page inviting me to sign up using my Google account.

The second on the same minute was to 'me@googlemail. com', this was a reminder, but used my nickname, again a link (different) inviting me to sign up to become her friend.

Now for the spooky bit, the second email also has a link to 'Other people you may know on Facebook'.

This has a link consisting of my sisters married name.

I emailed the inviter to say that I wasn't interested, she replied that she was unaware of sending any invite to me, and in any case she already knew I wasn't interested.

The person who sent the invite may know I have a sister, but definitely doesn't know her married name.

I've also spoken to my sister, and while she has a Facebook profile, she is adamant that it is rarely used, has the minimum of content, uses the highest privacy settings and does not mention me.

On 28th August, 'The Facebook Team' sent a reminder to 'me@googlemail. com', this again urged me to sign up and still had the link to what could be my sisters profile.

Sorry for the long post, so, has someone got a virus where Facebook/Hotmail send out invites to everyone in their contacts list?

Also my sisters name, with 00's of millions of users, how did that name appear on my invite?

jay-1

I got an invite from a friend and it also had links to people I may know. It showed three people that I know but there is no way that the person inviting me knew them.

I will be interested to see if anyone can shed light on this.

spud17

Well, I can't believe we're the only 2 people to have noticed this.

I called around to her house last evening, with the intention of downloading and running Malwarebytes.

Sods law, didn't bother to take it on a flash drive, her BB was playing up, and slightly [STRIKE]pis[/STRIKE] inebriated lodger was involved in 'sorting' it.

I did the honourable thing, made my excuses and went to the pub. :cool:

The_Grandmaster

I've got something similar to an e-mail address which I haven't associated with facebook (which I do use). Frightfully accurate about knowing who my friends are... I hope my name and picture isn't being listed in someone's email...

GunJack

could be a symtom of infection on other's computers, spread through facebook. I've been out to several in the last couple of months infected via fb, and mrs g-j (who is soo careful) even inadvertantly got our desktop done (soon got it sorted, was one of the milder ones )

spud17

GunJack wrote: »

could be a symtom of infection on other's computers, spread through facebook. I've been out to several in the last couple of months infected via fb, and mrs g-j (who is soo careful) even inadvertantly got our desktop done (soon got it sorted, was one of the milder ones )

Yup GunJack, that's why I was keen to scan her laptop with Malwarebytes, especially as she also uses Hotmail.

You don't have to spend much time on this forum to see that Hotmail/FB is a lethal combination, in the hands of the average user.

eddddy

I think there may be other explanations for this. From my distant memory of Facebook, your friend could have easily triggered these emails to you by not reading the Facebook pages carefully.

One possibility is as follows:

A user can ask Facebook to search their gmail/hotmail/yahoo etc contact list to look for anyone in their contact list who is already a Facebook member. Perhaps your friend did this.

Then Facebook's default action is to send a 'friend request' to every Facebook member it finds in the contact list, and an invitation email to every non-member. (So perhaps both your email addresses were in your friend's contact list.)

The Facebook member can prevent these emails being sent by carefully reading the info on screen, checking the correct opt-out boxes, clicking the small (semi-hidden) button etc. But if you just click the big obvious 'Continue' button, the emails get sent.

So if your friend did not read the screen very carefully, she may have agreed to the emails being sent, without realising.


Moving on to the 'Other people you may know' question. Facebook seem to use some interesting techniques for this. They don't publish details - but in your case my guess is something like this:

Your sister asked Facebook to check her gmail/hotmail/yahoo contact list and Facebook found your email address. Your sister correctly told Facebook not to send you an invitation email, but even so Facebook has 'noted' that your email address appeared in her contact list, and consequently it is 'guessing' that you know her.

Another possibility is that other mutual friends have asked Facebook to check their email contact lists, and perhaps you and your sister have both appeared in the same contact list on multiple occasions, so again Facebook is guessing that you know each other.

This all sounds a bit scary, but Facebook members will have agreed to this kind of storing and mining of information as part of the T&Cs.

loracan1

I agree with the above - I joined earlier in the year, using one address and when I added another (hotmail) one that has contacts from about 5-10 years ago, those that have fb accounts started appearing as people I might want to add. My brother and sister were both on there along with anyone I had the briefest contact with on that address.

spud17

Thanks guys/gals(?), for 2 very plausible explanations.

eddddy

A user can ask Facebook to search their gmail/hotmail/yahoo etc contact list to look for anyone in their contact list who is already a Facebook member. Perhaps your friend did this.

Then Facebook's default action is to send a 'friend request' to every Facebook member it finds in the contact list, and an invitation email to every non-member. (So perhaps both your email addresses were in your friend's contact list.)

I'm certain both addresses are in her contacts list, and would have been there for several years.

She's been on FB for several years BTW.

The invite date coincides (I think) with her uploading a heap of photos after a party, so perhaps there is an option to immediately contact 'Friends', 'cos in this day and age everything has to be done without delay, and knowing FBs penchant for changing the goalposts, perhaps it now offers to inform everyone in her contacts list.

Your sister asked Facebook to check her gmail/hotmail/yahoo contact list and Facebook found your email address.

This is interesting, because it would have been a POP3 Virgin ADSL account, in her husbands name, I said she doesn't use a computer very much,:), and so FB would have to read the contact list on a Mac (Safari).

This all sounds a bit scary, but Facebook members will have agreed to this kind of storing and mining of information as part of the T&Cs.

Exactly the reason why I avoid it!

loracan1

Cheers for that, it ties in with eddddys post.