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SALT LAKE CITY -- A growing number of people have had their identities ripped off on Facebook, and there's really nothing they can do about it. Some say the company has given them no recourse to fighting the identity theft.
Two years ago, Jessica Kehl was BYU's head cheerleader and Miss Draper. Being in the public eye, she was especially concerned when her friends told her someone was impersonating her on Facebook.
"It was really scary at the time because it was where Facebook was really transitioning into what it is today," Kehl said.
Facebook is a free Internet site that now serves 600 million active users across the world. New media experts say hackers are installing malicious software to follow users' key strokes and eventually end up taking over their social media sites.
"I can only control my Facebook. I can't control somebody else posting whatever they want," Kehl said.
She says she followed Facebook's procedures to report identity theft but has never heard a response from the site.
"I was not impressed with how they handled it," Kehl said. "I wish they would've contacted me and helped me with this situation."
Facebook clearly shows on its site how to report identity theft. Social media experts recommend you change your password regularly and select a secure browser while you're logged into Facebook.
E-mail: niyamba@ksl.com
