Facebook Security: A Funny and Cautionary Tale

The other day when I logged onto Facebook I got a message that I needed to increase my security.  It recommended that I add another email address to my account and add my cell number, in case there was ever need to contact me about me about my account.  It was very legitimate Facebooky stuff, so I went ahead and did it, actually relieved that there was that extra layer of ways to contact me other than my unreliable Juno address. 

Fast forward a few hours and I get a text message on my phone that was a response to something I'd written on Facebook.  The person was a regular texter on my phone so I didn't think anything about it, however over the next day or so I notice that I get a text every time someone writes on my wall or sends a message.  I've never had any kind of mobile internet connection (still don't) so I think it's all kind of cool to get the updates while I'm out and about. 

Fast forward another day or so and I log into Facebook and  randomly see this message that I've supposedly posted in response to announcing on Facebook that it was my anniversary.  In amongst all the nice, "Happy Anniversary" comments was this: 


Yikes.  I know I'm a tad random sometimes, but vampires and silver bullets?  What the heck is going on with my account?  It's not your normal click on this link type of thing, but still?  Killing vampires?!

I felt so embarrassed that  a whole host of anniversary well-wishers got the same email (shown above), but felt a little better after changing my password, apologizing publicly,  and  tweaking my security settings. 

I was just starting to forget about it all when Spencer randomly commented to me that he'd been getting my Facebook update texts all evening.  (You see, his cell phone was ruined a few months ago and since we won't buy him a new one,  he uses my phone to text in the evenings. )

Bing!  Suddenly the light goes on!

I ask him, "Did you by chance have a texting conversation with one of your friends about killing vampires?" 

After dodging the question a bit, he finally admitted reluctantly that he had and wondered how I knew.  

Apparently in addition to receiving the Facebook updates, you can also reply to them via text.  So in the middle of his texting conversation with a friend  about vampires he was getting my pesky anniversary wishes and he accidentally replied to the Facebook text one time instead of to his friend. 

Lesson learned.  Mobile updates turned OFF and Twilight movies thrown in the trash!