It's not nearly as bad here as other places, but there are still folks here who set up brand new accounts and apparently friend every person they see who has an icon that looks like a woman.

I'd love to eventually get to a point where that doesn't happen. "Well, just change your icon!" No. I'm not the one doing something sketchy here. It's the person who goes on a mass following spree, and if someone approves their follow request (or especially if they follow back), that person dives into their DMs.

That is the person who is doing the weird and unwelcome stuff.

Just in case anyone who is reading this doesn't know: you should not do that. Don't send a private message to someone you just friended and whom you don't really know. That's creepy.

I'm serious. Not even "Hi! How are you?" Don't do that.

Follow people because you like their posts, interact with those posts (click the star) and maybe boost some posts. Then do some replies here and there that indicate you appreciate what they are sharing.

I'm assuming most of these accounts are scammers, but on the very slim chance that someone doesn't know, there it is. Stop invading DMs. You are not sliding in. You are tromping around clumsily.

And if anyone is getting unwelcome attention from someone who is doing this, block them. Report them, even. It's not something you have to put up with.

It's not nearly as bad here as other places, but there are still folks here who set up brand new accounts and apparently friend every person they see who has an icon that looks like a woman.

I'd love to eventually get to a point where that doesn't happen. "Well, just change your icon!" No. I'm not the one doing something sketchy here. It's the person who goes on a mass following spree, and if someone approves their follow request (or especially if they follow back), that person dives into their DMs.

That is the person who is doing the weird and unwelcome stuff.

Just in case anyone who is reading this doesn't know: you should not do that. Don't send a private message to someone you just friended and whom you don't really know. That's creepy.

I'm serious. Not even "Hi! How are you?" Don't do that.

Follow people because you like their posts, interact with those posts (click the star) and maybe boost some posts. Then do some replies here and there that indicate you appreciate what they are sharing.

I'm assuming most of these accounts are scammers, but on the very slim chance that someone doesn't know, there it is. Stop invading DMs. You are not sliding in. You are tromping around clumsily.

And if anyone is getting unwelcome attention from someone who is doing this, block them. Report them, even. It's not something you have to put up with.

@AngelaPreston For what it's worth, it happens to guys too. I'm regularly followed by overtly young, scantily clad women. When I check their followers, it's a bunch of other middle aged white men on the list. It's a setup for a 'pig butchering scam', to extract money from lonely men.

@AngelaPreston can you follow me back if you don't mind

@JustinDerrick Yep. Same scam in slightly different packaging. And part of me feels bad because I know there is a chance that the person on the other end may have been kidnapped, trafficked into another country, and forced to run scams on people. That's awful. It just sucks all the way around.