Facebook flags a friend request, or someone I already know adds me again. What should I check?

Use a phone number or conversation you already trusted before the request arrived. Do not use a new number supplied by the unverified profile to verify that same profile.

1. Before responding, note the exact profile link, name and request date. If there is a suspicious message, preserve its relevant text privately. Avoid posting accusations or other people's personal details.
2. Open Facebook yourself and inspect the request there. Do not sign in through a security-check link sent by the profile. Establish whether this is a friend request, a Page invitation or a message: this guide covers friend requests.
3. If Facebook shows an alert, read the reason it actually gives. Do not infer an account ban, a verified scam or a restriction on your own account from the warning alone.
4. Contact the supposed sender through an already trusted route. Ask whether this exact profile is theirs and whether they sent this request. A second account may be genuine; wait for confirmation rather than relying on the picture or mutual friends.
5. If you cannot establish who it is, leave the request unanswered or use the rejection control shown. If contact is unwanted, consider blocking. If there is evidence of impersonation or fraud, use the relevant reporting flow and accurately describe what happened.
6. Check the confirmation for the action you chose. If you already accepted, review the connection and the audience of sensitive posts; use the linked privacy guide. Do not assume changing the connection retracts information already seen or copied.
7. If controls fail, stop interacting and use the official in-app help or problem-reporting route. Record the error and app version without sharing passwords. If you already gave a login code or password away, move to the linked account-security guide; rejecting a request does not secure a compromised account.