Facebook’s “people you may know” feature is usually only good for suggesting that you friend people you have no earthly desire to be friends with: Your ex, your parents, your ex’s parents. But occasionally even a blind algorithm snorts up a truffle, like this man in England who was arrested when police caught up with him after Facebook suggested him as a friend to one of his victims.
Omar Famuyide was wanted for a string of crimes, including robbing a man at knifepoint earlier this year, the BBC reports. He might have gotten away with it, too, if it weren’t for that meddling Facebook, which showed Famuyide’s account to the man he’d robbed as a potential pal. The suggestion from Facebook appears to have been a coincidence. The man reported him to the police, leading to Famuyide’s arrest.
Detective constable Rhiannon Daff said the Facebook tip was “a crucial part of the investigation.” Famuyide is now serving a 17-year jail sentence.
