x
Breaking News
More () »

VERIFY: So what is the deal with those hacker messages you've been getting?

Can Jayden K. Smith really hack you and your friends if you accept his friend request? According to a message that is being spread around Facebook, he can.

Can Jayden K. Smith really hack you and your friends if you accept his friend request? According to a message that is being spread around Facebook, he can.

How many times have you gotten this message on Facebook?

It makes sense as to why it might be passed around Facebook right now, with reports of people being hacked on all their devices left and right.We set out to Verify whether Jayden K. Smith was out to steal all your information, and your grandma’s too.First thing’s first: you cannot have your information hacked by accepting a friend request. Likewise, people cannot access your friends’ personal information through a simple friend request. Though, it is advised to be cautious when accepting requests from people you don’t know.Secondly, we found an article from the Telegraph, a UK based news source, calling the chain-message a hoax. It says that there is nothing to suggest that someone is going around with the name Jayden K. Smith and hacking Facebook profiles.We should also note that that these messages are being copied and pasted and sent out by the senders; it's not as if the message is going out without their knowledge. Furthermore, according to Facebook's terms and conditions, you can't send mass requests out to unknown users because it violates their spam policy. So we can definitely confirm this is a hoax.But how are the Jayden K. Smiths of the world feeling?Well this one is confused. He asks, "Why are people persecuting me?!"And this one is taking it in stride, he says it is time to send some friend requests.We have reached out to Facebook and have not heard back.

Help VERIFY

Help our journalists VERIFY the news. Do you know someone else we should interview for this story? Did we miss anything in our reporting? Is there another story you'd like us to VERIFY? Click here.

Before You Leave, Check This Out