Linda Smith / Jason Lee Facebook virus hoax spreads quickly

They may have the best of intentions, but Facebook users who are spreading a warning about a supposed virus across the social network are actually not helping anyone at all.

Messages being shared across Facebook warn users not to add as a Facebook friend people called “Linda Smith” or “Jason Lee”.

ATTENTION **ALL FACEBOOK USERS**..DO NOT ADD *LINDA SMITH*,ALSO IF SOMEBODY CALLED *JASON LEE*,ADDS YOU,DON’T ACCEPT..IT IS A VIRUS.TELL EVERYBODY,BECAUSE IF SOMEBODY ON YOUR LIST ADDS THEM,YOU GET THE VIRUS TOO.***COPY AND PASTE AND PLEASE RE POST******THIS HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY FACEBOOK

The truth is that this is a hoax, spread by well-intentioned individuals who think they’re doing others a favour by posting or forwarding the warning so other users can read it. It’s just the latest example of the many hoaxes we have seen spreading over the internet for some years.

I mean, just think about it – is a…

Read more in my article on the Naked Security website.

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Graham Cluley is a veteran of the cybersecurity industry, having worked for a number of security companies since the early 1990s when he wrote the first ever version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows. Now an independent analyst, he regularly makes media appearances and is an international public speaker on the topic of cybersecurity, hackers, and online privacy. Follow him on Twitter, Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky, or drop him an email.

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