‘Anwar Jitou’ Hacker Warning is a Hoax

According to a warning message that is currently circulating via Facebook, you should not accept a contact request from a person called Anwar Jitou because he is a hacker.  Supposedly, the hacker has a computer connected to your Facebook account.

And, claims the message, if one of your friends accepts him, you will also be hacked. The message urges you to share the information with your friends so that they will be warned as well. There are versions of the message in several languages, including Italian, English, and Swedish.

Claims are Nonsense — Just One Among Many Similar Hoaxes

But, the claims in the message are nonsense and should not be taken seriously. In fact, the message is just one in a long series of bogus warnings that have falsely claimed that a hacker can gain access to your computer and accounts just because you accept a friend request.

From time to time, some prankster adds a new name – in this case,  Anwar Jitou – to the hoax and launches it anew. Except for the name changes and other minor variations, all of the hoaxes are pretty much the same.

The scenario described in these messages is technically impossible.  Of course, hackers certainly do use a range of tactics to trick people into relinquishing access to their accounts. Hackers might, for example, trick you into installing malware that allows them to take control of your computer. Or they might use a phishing attack to trick you into sending them personal information such as usernames and passwords, which would, of course, allow hackers to access your account.

However, even the smartest criminal will not be able to hack your computer just by being added to your contact list. For a hacking attempt to be successful, some sort of file transfer or exchange of information must take place.

Any warning message that claims that simply accepting a friend request will, by itself, give a hacker access to your computer should be regarded as a hoax and should not be shared. 

An example of the hoax warning in Engish:

Please tell all the contacts in your list Messenger, not to accept Anwar Jitou contact, a hacker who has a computer connected to your Facebook account. If one of your contact accepts, you will also be hacked, so make sure that all your friends know that. Thanks good evening!!!

An example of the hoax warning in Italian:

Si prega di dire a tutti i contatti della tua lista Messenger, di non accettare il contatto di Anwar Jitou [Anwar Jitu], è un hacker che ha il computer collegato nel tuo account Facebook. Se uno dei tuoi contatti lo accetta, sarai anche hackerato, così fai in modo, che tutti i tuoi amici lo sappiano.