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Tag: Fake Facebook account

Facebook removes 265 ‘fake accounts’

Facebook on Thursday said it had removed 265 Facebook and Instagram accounts, pages, groups and events linked to an Israeli-based firm due to what it called “inauthentic behaviour” targeting users in Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa.

The move is part of wider efforts by Facebook to address concerns over privacy lapses and hate speech in social media.

Facebook said the “inauthentic” activity originated in Israel and focused on Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, Angola, Niger and Tunisia as well as in Latin America and Southeast Asia. “The people behind this network used fake accounts to run pages, disseminate their content and artificially increase engagement,” Nathaniel, head of cybersecurity policy at Facebook said in a statement.

He identified Israel’s Archimedes Group as the source of some of the activity. “This organisation and all its subsidiaries are now banned from Facebook, and it has been issued a cease and desist letter,” said Gleicher.

Archimedes was not immediately available for comment Gleicher said Archimedes had 65 Facebook accounts, 161 pages, 12 events and four Instagram accounts. Some 2.8 million accounts followed one or more of these pages.

He said that the individuals involved also represented themselves as locals, including local news organisations, and published allegedly leaked information about politicians. “The page administrators and account owners frequently posted about political news, including topics like elections in various countries, candidate views and criticism of political opponents,” Gleicher said.

“We’re taking down these pages and accounts based on their behaviour, not the content they posted.”

He added that around 812,000 dollars was spent for advertisements on Facebook paid for in Brazilian reals, Israeli shekels and U.S. dollars with the first ad running in 2012 and the most recent last month, Gleicher said. “We have shared information about our analysis with industry partners and policymakers,” he said.

Similarly, Amnesty International on Thursday called for Israel’s government to ensure that an Israeli company, whose spyware has been linked to a WhatsApp breach that may have targeted human rights groups, be held accountable for the way its software is used.

Amnesty on Tuesday filed a petition in Israel seeking the revocation of NSO Group’s export licence and said that it was up to the government to take a firmer stance against export licenses that have “resulted in human rights abuses.”

Israel’s Ministry of Defence declined to comment.

WhatsApp, a unit of Facebook, said on Tuesday that a security breach on its messaging app may have targeted human rights groups.

According to Eva Galperin, Director of cybersecurity at San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation, WhatsApp told human rights groups it believed the spyware used was developed by Israel’s NSO.A second person familiar with the matter also identified spyware from NSO.

Amnesty said in an emailed statement that NSO has “again and again demonstrated their intent to avoid responsibility for the way their software is used,” and that only government intervention would change that.

NSO has not commented on any specific attacks, but following the WhatsApp breach it said it would investigate any “credible allegations of misuse” of its technology which “is solely operated by intelligence and law enforcement agencies”.

NSO’s biggest shareholder, Novalpina Capital, said in a statement that it intends to bring NSO’s governance into alignment with UN principles and will seek insights from Amnesty and other groups “into how best to achieve this important goal.”

READ ALSO: Facebook closes 23 pages with fake news, pro-govt propaganda

WhatsApp, one of the world’s most popular messaging tools which are used by 1.5 billion people monthly, said it had notified the U.S. Department of Justice to help with an investigation into the breach.

And it encouraged its users to update to the latest version of the app, where the breach had been fixed.

One target of the new WhatsApp exploit was a United Kingdom-based human rights lawyer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

The United Kingdom-based human rights lawyer is helping a Saudi dissident and several Mexican journalists mount civil cases against NSO for its alleged role in selling hacking tools to the Saudi and Mexican governments, which they alleged were used to hack into their phones.

NSO says it sells only to law enforcement and intelligence agencies pursuing legitimate targets, such as terrorists and criminals.

Novalpina, in a May 15 letter to Amnesty signed by founding partner Stephen Peel, said Novalpina was “determined to do whatever is necessary to ensure that NSO technology is used for the purpose for which it is intended.

“The prevention of harm to fundamental human rights arising from terrorism and serious crime – and not abused in a manner that undermines other equally fundamental human rights.”

Reuters/NAN

May 16, 2019
Amnesty Office denies fake Facebook account

Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta on Friday denied ownership of a fake Facebook account attributed to the National Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Prof. Charles Quaker Dokubo.

The amnesty office accused the impersonator of extorting money with promises of scholarships and awards to ignorant Niger Delta youths.

In a statement issued by the Special Assistant (Media) to Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator, Amnesty Programme, Murphy Ganagana, in Abuja members of the public were warned against the fraudster.

He stated that the Presidential aide since assumption to office is yet to own a Facebook social account.

It reads: “The attention of the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator, Presidential Amnesty Programme has been drawn to a Facebook profile named Hon Charles Dokubo Quaker, who has been promising scholarships, empowerment and training in exchange for money to unsuspecting Niger Delta youths.

“For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state that the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator, Presidential Amnesty Programme, Prof. Charles Quaker Dokubo, has not operated any Facebook profile since his appointment on March 13, 2018, by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“He has also not solicited for money from either contractors, beneficiaries of the Amnesty Programme or any member of the public in the performance of his duties.”

“Members of the public are hereby urged to disregard the said Facebook profile which emanated from criminal-minded persons.

“Any individual or group of persons involved in this criminal act of impersonation is advised to desist forthwith as he/she will be reported to the appropriate security agency for investigation and prosecution.”

End

July 27, 2018
Job scam: Umahi disowns fake Facebook account

Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi has disowned some “fake” social media accounts bearing his name and pictures.

The governor said the social media accounts were used to defraud the public.

Umahi, in a statement at the weekend by his spokesman, Mr. Emma Anya, urged the public to disregard the accounts on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms.

The statement reads: “The attention of David Umahi, the governor of Ebonyi State, has been drawn to the existence of accounts on Facebook, Twitter, etc, operated by unscrupulous individuals asking unsuspecting people to apply for jobs and contracts on the social media by paying for forms.

“One of such accounts on Facebook asks people to pay to Dr. James with mobile telephone number 0813 939 3872.

“Governor Umahi does not directly or indirectly operate accounts on Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms. When he decides to, the public would be informed accordingly.

“The governor will never ask anyone to pay for jobs or contracts, as being demanded by the impersonators.

The public is, therefore, advised to dishonour such demands. People should be extremely careful with those they transact business with on the social media, especially those claiming to be public office holders.

“The Ebonyi State Government publishes contracts, job vacancies and other activities in newspapers and not on social media platforms.”

July 13, 2016
Onu raises alarm over fake Facebook account

Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, yesterday raised an alarm about a fake facebook account created by unscrupulous elements in his name, which is being used to defraud people.

He stated this while addressing leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ebonyi State at his Uburu country home who came to celebrate the New Year with him.

Onu, who stated that he doesn’t operate any facebook account, wondered why people are using his name on facebook with his pictures to do all manner of fraudulent activities.

”So many people called me on phone that they were the ones charting with me on face book and I stand here to say I don’t operate facebook account, I don’t.

”If anybody creates facebook account with my name and pictures and said he is charting with me, the person is a criminal. Ignore such person.

”Some persons have been using my name and pictures to do all manner of businesses. I want to warn them to desist from this”, he said.

He debunked reports in some quarters that he visited Governor Dave Umahi to mend fences with him.

While stating that he has no problem with the governor, the minister said he visited Umahi to console him on the demise of his mother, Mrs. Margret Umahi.

He said he usually visits anyone that loses his/her parent irrespective of political affiliation as he knows the pains of losing a parent which had happened to him when he lost his father and mother.

He wondered why the visit was misinterpreted by some people and a section of the media.

The APC national leader called on the people of the state to support President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration as the state cannot afford to be in opposition.

He added that the state has tremendous potentials and must support the federal government to harness them.

Onu, a former governor of old Abia State noted that Buhari inherited bad economy from the past administration and has been working round the clock to fix it through diversification of the economy.

He restated his readiness to reposition the Ministry of Science and Technology to make it vibrant.

Earlier, the state Acting Chairman of the party, Pastor Eze Nwachukwu, told the minister that the APC leaders came to celebrate with him.

He said the party in the state is now united and poised to win future elections in the state.

January 3, 2016
Army disowns fake Facebook account

The authorities of the Nigerian Army have disowned a Facebook account purportedly opened by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah.

A statement issued on Monday by the Army spokesman, Brig-General Olajide Laleye, described the said Facebook account as fake, saying that the COAS did not operate a Facebook account.

The statement said, “It has come to the notice of the Nigerian Army that a certain dubious individual whose real identity has not yet been determined, has created a Facebook account purported to belong to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. K.T.J Minimah.

“The likely intension of this dubious individual could be to embarrass the COAS and/or defraud unsuspecting members of the public.

“In view of the above, the Directorate of Army Public Relations wishes to state categorically that the Chief of Army Staff does not own a Facebook account.

“Therefore, members of the public are advised to disregard any information emanating from the said Facebook account.

February 17, 2014