Have you seen lots of warnings on Facebook Messenger about accepting friend requests from someone supposedly named Jayden K. Smith? If so, you’re not alone, but you can tell all your friends to stop worrying about it. It’s nothing but another version of a long-running hoax, and Jayden K. Smith isn’t the only name to be used in such a message.
Warning: don’t accept a friend request from Jayden K. Smith
There are a few different variations going around on Facebook Messenger, but here’s the gist of the message: “Please tell all your contacts not to accept friend requests from Jayden K. Smith. He is a hacker and has the system connected to your Facebook account. If one of your contacts accepts it, you also will be hacked.”
The message is confusing as far as exactly what’s going on with this supposed hacker Jayden K. Smith and having “the system connected to your Facebook account.” But apart from that, messages such as this one have been going around for years. Each one follows a specific pattern:
- Don’t do read, respond, open, etc.
- An email, message, etc.
- Sent by [insert name here].
- If you do, [insert dire consequence]
- Please forward to everyone you know.
Jayden K. Smith is the latest cyber-boogeyman
At this time, Jayden K. Smith is the one being picked on in the latest round of this hoax via Facebook Messenger. However, the names given in these hoax messages have been changing over the years, and Snopes attributes the different names to people playing pranks on their friends or coworkers by inserting their names in the warning message.
Last month, the person being picked on was Anwar Jitou/ Jitu, with Facebook users in Italy reportedly being the ones to circulate the hoax message mostly. The hoax warnings suggest that these cyber-boogeymen with different names are sending out mass friend requests, which would only work if Facebook doesn’t tamp down on the account.
Be safe online
So while you don’t need to worry about accepting a friend request from Jayden K. Smith, the broader meaning of the message is true and a good reminder of cyber-safety. It generally isn’t a good idea to accept friend requests from people you don’t know, not because they’re going to hack your account, but because they’ll be able to see all your pictures and any information you share.
Some Twitter users even poked fun of the latest version of this hoax starring Jayden K. Smith:
Homeland Security reports they have identified hacker Jayden K Smith pic.twitter.com/XyqNBtVi4b
— Neil Carter (@godlessindixie) July 10, 2017
Trump announces new head of World Cyber Security Task Force: Jayden K. Smith.
— Sue O’Connell (@SueNBCBoston) July 10, 2017
Ran into Jayden K Smith downtown. distraught @ the end of his rope. He really needs friends right now. #friendsforjayden #jaydenksmith #help
— Eric Lee Huffman (@EricLeeHuffman) July 10, 2017
It’s now being that Jayden K. Smith met with President Trump in the library of Mar-a-Lago, with Colonel Mustard & a candlestick. #ItsAHoax
— Kristi Hoss Schiller (@kkschiller) July 10, 2017
