FACEBOOK HOAX – ‘Type BFF to See if Your Account is Protected’

According to a post that is currently circulating rapidly on Facebook, you can check the security status of your Facebook account just by typing the letters “BFF” as a comment.

The message claims that your Facebook account is protected if BFF appears green in your comment. But, warns the message, if BFF does not turn green, your account is not safe and you should change your password immediately to stop your account being hacked.

The post also claims that BFF was invented by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg himself.

However, the claims in the message are utter nonsense. Entering “BFF” in a Facebook comment is not a valid way of checking your account security. “BFF” is simply an initialism for the phrase “Best Friends Forever”.

Depending on your Facebook setting and the device you are using, BFF may indeed turn green after you enter it in a Facebook comment.

However, the green colour is nothing to do with the account’s security status. Instead, the colour just indicates that BFF is one of Facebook’s many text animations.

BFF activates the “dancing hands” animation. When triggered, the animation depicts two hands moving from the bottom of the screen and performing a high five.

If “BFF” does not turn green for you, it just means your Facebook setttings are not configured to show the text colour or animation. The device you are using to access Facebook may also determine if the colour and animation are displayed. But, the lack of green certainly does not indicate that your account is vulnerable to hackers.

And, for the record, the claim that Mark Zuckerberg invented the term BFF is also nonsense. According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, the term has been in use since 1996. Mark was only a child at that time and, in those pre-Facebook days, was certainly not in a position to make a particular term wildly popular on the interwebs, even if he did invent one.

Here’s an example of the hoax message:

Hackers are on the rise. Protect your account and your identity.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, invented the word BFF. To make sure your account is safe on Facebook, type BFF in a comment. If it appears green, your account is protected. If it does not appear green, change your password immediately because it will be hacked.