Prevent Facebook Account From Spoofing

Facebook has a option for activating your mobile phone for various features like receiving notifications, messages and other useful things directly to your mobile phone. This feature is very useful for those people who find very less time to browse #Facebook online. When you activate your mobile phone for Facebook, you get an option for updating your status by sending a SMS to 51555 from your activated #Mobile phone. The Status update will show up immediately on your Facebook profile.


For example:
Message: Chilling out with friends at Shipra Mall

To: 51555

Will result into this in your Facebook profile:

So in practical, you just need your mobile phone to stay connected to your profile and make status updates. So its obvious that anyone having your mobile number active in hands can create status updates too. But this can be easily avoided by not providing mobile phone to suspected person and unauthorized persons.
The title of the posts says "How to prevent Facebook account from spoofing". First of all we should know what is spoofing.

What is Spoofing

In this world of hackers and crackers, no security can be said to be hacker proof. White Hat hackers can hack into your Facebook account easily within minutes through  hacking. But spoofing is something different from hacking. Spoofing means to access someone's mobile number as a medium to send SMS and/or make calls. For example: Your mobile number is 9876543210 and you send a SMS to your friend whose number is 91234567890. So its obvious that your friend who receives message will get your mobile number in the "from" number. Now through spoofing, anyone can use your mobile number to send a message to anyone without touching your phone or accessing your SIM card. So its legit to say that spoofing if misused, can create trouble to the real owner of mobile number. I know how shocking it would be if this happened to you in real life. The only method according to me is not to tell your mobile number to anyone whom you don't know in real life.

Also Read: Prevent Your Facebook Account From being Hacked

Spoofing + Facebook = ?

In this post I will teach you how to prevent Facebook account from spoofing. I have defined you what is spoofing and how dangerous can it be. Have you ever thought that spoofing can be used to access your Facebook account to make a status update? Spoofing can be used to make abusive and irritating status updates and its upto the person who is spoofing your account. Here is how spoofing works:

• You activate Facebook Mobile using your phone number 98XXXXXXXX
• Now you can update your account's status update by sending a text message to 51555 from your mobile number
• Since I have told you that spoofing can be used to access your mobile number for sending text messages, so any person who wants to take revenge will simply use free spoofing site to take revenge and he will win for sure.

Now you will ask how it can be prevented. Well as a matter of fact, you can prevent your Facebook account from spoofing in 2 minutes very easily. Facebook allows you to set a PIN for securing your Facebook account from spoofing. A Mobile PIN is like a password for using status updates via mobile.

To set a mobile PIN, head over to this link.

Enable Mobile PIN

Now you will see option for enabling mobile PIN. First of all Turn On Mobile PIN and enter the PIN twice and click on save changes.

Now whenever you need to update your status or do any other mobile task, you just need to prefix the PIN.
For example: If you have set the PIN as "2314", you will need to type the following message to update your Facebook status

Message: "Enter some message here" 2314

To: 51555

So, now your Facebook account is more secure from spoofing attack. See how small changes in settings can secure your online presence. If you loved this article, please share this article with your friends and classmates. And also subscribe to the E-mail newsletter for receiving full blog posts by E-mail. 

Thank you for reading, you are simply awesome!