DWP using Facebook messenger

skylark_71

Good afternoon all.

I had a rather confusing experience last week.I received confirmation of receipt of my fit note from DWP via text (as per usual) and within a couple of seconds an unusual purple icon popped up on the screen of my phone.

I opened it and it was a message from DWP sent via Facebook messenger. It was the chat head icon that had popped up on my phone. The message was exactly the same as the text I received and also contained all the messages the DWP had ever sent me via text.

Is this standard? Are the DWP using Facebook messenger to send messages now? I have a fairly common name so I'm not sure how they even found the correct profile to message me. I'm very confused about this whole thing.


Can anyone shed any light on this?

Ames

I hope not - it would be against all data protection legislation. If they tried to message me through facebook I'd never see it as I haven't used my account in about five years.

I wonder if it's something to do with your phone or phone provider that sends text messages to facebook? Do you have your number linked to facebook?

skylark_71

It has never happened before so I doubt it's anything to do with my phone or service provider. No, I don't have my number linked to Facebook.

scottishlass

By the sounds of it your SMS messages are linked to your Facebook messenger, the fact that its purple means its an SMS (so they haven't contacted you by Facebook - it is the same text message) - why your other SMS messages are not showing like that I'm not sure.

Best to check you settings on your phone to see what your default message app is.

skylark_71

Thank you scottishlass. I never knew that my SMS messages were (or could be) linked to messenger as this has never happened before. I did find it rather strange because, as I mentioned, I have a very common name and couldn't understand how they'd picked out the correct profile to message.

gypsyteeny

Yes it's exactly the same for me, I have a Samsung s9 and the texts are linked to messenger so whenever I get a text it also pops up on my messenger

skylark_71

Great. Thank you gypsyteeny!