There’s a hoax Facebook message about an alleged hacker named “Jayden K. Smith” going around

Impact

A new hoax circulating Facebook is being spread by well-meaning users. It’s a chain message that issues a warning and calls on users to spread the message by re-sharing on their account.

Here’s what the message says, CBS reports: There’s a user named Jayden K. Smith who’s a hacker that will gain control of your account if you add them as a friend on Facebook. Fortunately for you, this hacker does not actually exist. Users are spreading the word on Facebook and further perpetuating the false hacker warning.

There are different variations of the message, but the gist is the same — Smith will steal your information, so don’t engage with the account.

“Please tell all the contacts in your Messenger list, not to accept Jayden K. Smith friendship request,” one message reads. “He is a hacker and has the system connected to your Facebook account. If one of your contacts accepts it, you will also be hacked, so make sure that all your friends know it. Thanks. Forwarded as received.”

The warning is common and gets recycled under different names. If it’s not Jayden K. Smith, it’s Anwar Jitou, Christopher Davies, Tanner Dwyer and Bobby Roberts.

“Variants of these messages are circulated endlessly, with different names swapped in and out as various pranksters decide to play jokes on people they know by inserting their acquaintances’ names and addresses into the warning in place of the existing information,” Snopes writes.

Adding someone on Facebook won’t lead to a hack of that nature. What’s more, mass adding people on the platform is against Facebook’s Terms and Conditions according to the Telegraph. While the message and its claims are fake, the takeaway is solid advice: it is in a user’s best interest to not add strangers on Facebook, as it gives them access to personal information like photograms, date of birth, friends and contacts, and even education and work details.