Getting Hacked on Facebook

Friday night it became apparent that someone was impersonating me on Facebook.

Almost thirty of my friends fell for the scam. One engaged the impostor.

Engager: How is you husband?
Impostor: Fine.

HMM. My husband passed away from dementia at the end of June. My friend knew there was a problem! 

Dana received these messages from the impostor me on Facebook and, the English teacher that I am, I edited this uneducated scammer:

I’m so happy now because many good things are happening to me and am thanking God for that. It’s an empowerment program to help people especially the senior citizen, adult, youth. I have received mine from them already. The FedEx delivery service came to my doorstep and delivered cash of $300,000 to me in person.
  

About the 2014 empowerment program in conjunction with Facebook Yearly Bonus—the program is basically to help people to maintain a good standard of living in the entire community and there are prizes to me won. 

All right. I wonder if you have heard about the good news yet.

Dana: Did you open a new Facebook account?

Impostor: No, I did some re-setting so I have to re-add some of my friends. I hope everything is going well with you.

Dana told me As soon as the money was mentioned my suspcions were confirmed and she she unfriended immediately before he/she could steal her identiy. 

Then Dana messaged the real me on Facebook.

Dana: Carol, are you talking to me on a different Facebook page? I think you’ve been hacked. I unfriended your new account until I know it’s you.

The real me: I did not make a new Facebook account.

Dana: Sorry that happened to you! I could smell baloney! I knew it was out of character for you. 

The real me: This could become a blog post.

Dana: Haha! Yes it could. Have you recently accepted any new friend requests?

The real me: No, but I as at an unsecured WiFi Panera Bread [south of Plant City in perhaps the unincorporated Beaslville area] with my small notebook computer open and my iPhone on. Someone was sitting not far from me staring at me. I asked him if he knew me and he said no. The help section of Facebook is confusing to make a report.

Dana: That was him!! I’m sure! Sorry it’s confusing. Keep trying. Tell that story.

The real me: I will. The next Plant City Lady post. Did you LIKE that plantcityladyandfriendsblogspot so it will come to your computer?

Dana: I’m not sure. I may only read it when you share your blogs on your FB page.

The real me: I probably should share on FB. I don’t share all my blog posts on FB.

Then Dana gave me permission to use her name. Thanks, Dana.

Now I noticed an unincorporated place on the imposter's FB--Bealsville. Good information for the Plant City Police. That place is now gone on the impostor's page. 

I talked with a friend's computer-savvy husband last night and he explained to me the dangers of WiFi. Technology is being used to take advantage of us!  

This morning I talked with my neighbor whose FB page was hacked several years ago. You just change your password, she explained and one of her friends called Apple and took care of it while she was on vacation. I learned from her to not take my devices open to a WiFi establishment.

I finally had time to do change my password last night. It wasn't so easy on Facebook HELP, and I didn't call Apple.  I used this site to do it.

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-immediately-facebook-account-hacked/

As of this morning, 13 of my friends are on the impostor's friend list. He has no other friends as others have unfriended him. 

Here is how you unfriend someone as I wrote on Facebook:


To delete this hacker impostor of me, go to your Timeline Wall by your picture at the top right next to the word Home. Click on your name. Then click on Friends. A list will come up. Scroll down until you see the false me. Check to see if it just has two pictures. I have a lot of photos on the real one. Then for this false one with pictures that just were added click on the tab that has the check Friends rectangular button. At the bottom of it find Unfriend.


Someone taking advantage of a senior! I had that as I reported HERE. That post has had over 400 views (more than the 300 or so views when my husband died).  I did get my money back. I have dealt with an Internet bully also, and that bully turned around.

Hey, seniors! 

Hey anyone!

I can't punch my impostor in the face, but I can report him/her to the police in Plant City! I can encourage that they reform before they are arrested. 

More Computer Trouble

Suspected Scammer Taking Over My Computer

The morning of July 26th I went in search of a missing piece for my new Mac computer--getting Microsoft Office installed. On the Internet I found a service  which reported to be experts who could help me get Office installed and they took over my computer remotely with my permission. What did I know? Best Buy Geeks said that I needed to get someone else to use the codes on my discs to credit it for a Mac and put it on this computer.

The chat began late morning and to protect myself I copied our chat when my new Mac computer was taken over by this group and put it on a note. Then I emailed that chat so I would have it on my Notebook computer.

To start Jerry gets my first and last name, my home number, cell number and my email. I told Jerry about the two PC discs I have, but need it on a Mac. Twice he asks me if I have a place to install the discs and twice I tell him the Mac Mini doesn't have that.

Jerry: Are there other computers connected to this computer in your network?

Carol: No, but I do have a PC Acer Notebook that has this 2007 installed on it and I would like to send files to that Notebook computer. I use it to do Power Point presentations.

Jerry: Thank you so much for briefing [me] on your issue. From here we will take care of this issue and fix it for you. I am going to look for reasons why you are facing this issue and possible solutions. Please let me check your MAC for a while. May I?

Carol: Thanks so much, Jerry.

Jerry: You are welcome.  I am going to look for reasons why you are facing this issue and possible solutions. Please let me check your MAC for a while. May I? [He repeats himself] . . . Carol, I tried to download but there are some errors in your Mac stopping me. Let me show you. [He shows items in red.]  Can you see the errors in your computer?

Carol: Yes, you pointed to them.

Jerry: Yes, These are the corrupted registry files & they could be causing the problem with installations ports in your Computer. These registry files might have corrupted the associated driver and the communication ports for your computer. They might have corrupted and starting to multiply to other programs in your computer. There seems to be serious issues with your computer that needs immediate attention. Some of the registry issues need to be fixed or it might result in computer crashes and the data loss. I can fix it manually for you.

What do I know about all of this? Have viruses followed me to this MAC.  Also, notice the These is capitalized. He could have copied and pasted this. 

Carol [weary for a month of hospital visits, my fall, computer viruses, no water, and pending biopsy not to mention my husband's decline]: great

Jerry: Alright [sic], May I know when you did the last clean up of errors in your computer manually by a Certified System Engineer?

Carol: Oh no! I have had this since Tues. I got it because the PC had viruses and Trojans on it and I think this Mac should have fixed everything. This Mac Mini is brand new with my old stuff installed on it.

Jerry: I understand, Did you transferred [sic] any files from your old PC to the Mini mac.

Carol: Best Buy did that for $99.

Jerry: As a certified professionals we would not like to comment on any third party applications or security software. The Network ports of your computer seems not to be secured enough to block these infections.  Since you transferred your old files (affected files) to your MAC this could happen.  .  .  .  Threats can enter in through a small loophole too, within the first 4 minutes on internet usage. If this goes on for a long time without getting the problem fixed, chances are that your computer could easily crash and stop working altogether.

Should be "infected", among other corrections. 

Jerry: Carol, Are you following me.

Carol: Yes in tears because I thought with a Mac I was not going to have Trojans and viruses as easily if at all.
. . . .
Jerry: Once I fix all the issues on your Computer  . . . I would suggest you to go for the long term as there are several issues on your Mac.  . . . We will be your dedicated support for all your MAC needs anytime with your subscription.

I remind Jerry that I bought certified Best Buy Geek support for three years and this would be a duplicate coverage. 

Jerry:  As a certified professionals we would not like to comment on any third party applications or security software. 

He has repeated himself. Now Jerry is pasting in that same sentence with the a c______ p_______s error. It is his canned speech. 

I foolishly buy this service and then am able to be offered a refund later--stay tuned. Bank of America credit card will get me out of it by 72 hours if it is not deleted by this outfit. 

Enter Valentino who calls me someone else--Thomas. 

Valentino: If you have the key for the Mac computer we will install it now.

Carol: I never told you I had a key for a Mac computer. You should have read carefully. This is a scam to get my money.

Valentino: We are certified professionals. We resolve all kinds of Technical issues.

A Lewis was brought in and while I attended to my husband, someone wrote for me to someone else right on my computer!!! Taking over my computer while I was out of the room!  As I had told them, I had to leave to take my husband to the doctor to check his knee that had put him in the hospital earlier in the month. I typed that "I am very upset" and that they could call at 6 pm. At the doctor's office on my iPhone I get an email receipt from their services and I reply on email from my iPhone: Might dispute this. False information from [your techs] who didn't read what I wrote, and took over my computer.  .  .  . We will see if [you] can deliver what [you] promised before [you] took my money. 

Thank the LORD 
the doctor said 
my husband's knee is healing nicely. 

Shortly after I got home they did call and I complained. Soon a tech was back on the phone saying they would give a refund. A confirming email followed with a ticket history note at the bottom that I had gotten irate and thought they were scammers and had disconnected the phone. No indication that I had left to go to the doctor's office.

Tomorrow is Sunday, a day of rest. 

I need it. Thanks for your prayers. 

New Computer

Our church starts at 2 pm, but I was on a mission--recover my computer last Sunday morning.  In the battle for the shower I put up with just hubby taking pills and shaving.  There was another battle and I couldn’t wait for hubby’s shower (which did happen on Monday, by the way). 

This was the second time my big computer had that same ugly virus. One virus or Trojan showed a picture of handcuffs and demanded money or my computer would be shut down! A friend from church had solved it the first time, and it took him a lot of time to do it. I dared not ask this gentleman again. 

 Actual Picture of a Trojan that two times infected my old computer

Me? Pornography on the computer? Send them money from KMart, 7-11 or Walgreens? The only picture I could think of as porno was this one I once used on a blog post for humor HERE. 

Furthermore, I am anti-addiction and anti-porography.  Why I even put anti-pornography in one of my latest raps, “Addiction”, that I just delivered in my last class for DUI offenders.

Here to be in your face

About your addiction

Don’t get me started

It’s hard to be parted

With your addiction

Lots of friction

You skip tradition

And slip into addiction

Doling out your cash

Getting high on grass

Or meth or cocaïne

Hugging, puffing

Reeling, stuffing

Alcohol seems so splendid

But just causes a dependence

Booze makes you a ball of rage

Will be hard to turn the page
Porn seems too easy
Just makes you sleazy
Relationships now measly
Life is a process
But drugs are a regress
Do you want to kill?
Take that drive
Take that pill
You won’t survive
The heat’ll get ya
And you’ll go to jail
I’ve seen it ya betcha.
So low you stoop
But it’s time you regroup
Pitch the fiction
Stop the addiction
Don’t escape life
Deal with your strive
Here to be in your face
About you addiction.

You viruses! I complain about porn, but don’t have it on my computer!  You think you are going to come and lock me up if I don't send money! You are not our government! 

I asked a police lady friend with whom I play Words With Friends what can be done.  She wrote me on the chat on our game:  If you can prove who and how it was done, you can present it to an attorney. They may ask you to get a police report with a case number to start an investigation.

This is the second time for those viruses on my computer. My husband's son-in-law said he switched to a Mac because of viruses.  I emailed my Mac/Apple sister-in-law and asked if she knew of a cheap Mac computer. 

As I indicated, Sunday is usually our day of rest, with a casual morning and a 2 pm afternoon service. But I had no rest at all. I had to do something.  Hubby and I headed off to Best Buy for a solution. Hubby found his usual spot for sitting in the Geek area. I walked by the Best Buy PC computers and found the Apple sign.

Apple Display at Best Buy

Here it was that I met Knight Mike. If ever there was a customer ready to buy, it was I!

I approached Mike as if he were a psychiatrist.  “I am grieving so much about my PC and all my work and photos I am missing on it.  Sure I have a small Notebook computer, but there are tons of files on my PC.”  Mike let me spew all my woes out. “Mike, the virus even thinks I have pornography on my computer and they want me to send money!”

We looked at options. I checked my email on my iPhone and my sister-in-law was out of church and emailed me back about the Mac Mini. You can use your monitor, your keyboard and your mouse from the defunct PC. We went back to the house and got the tower of the PC I now call The Trojan Horse, or "Trojan" for short with its ugly viruses/Trojans lurking inside and hubby and came back to buy.

"Trojan"

I emailed my sister-in-law:  “Mike and you just sold me.”  With lightning speed Customer Service Agent Charlene completed the order and brought me to the Geek Squad who would arrange for my PC insides to be put in virus free to a Mac-Mini-Intel Core 15/4GB/500 on sale for $549.99 with DATA backup for $99.99 and a three year Geek warranty for $179.97 in addition to the year’s Mac warranty. After all my careful planning to reduce credit card balances, I put over $800 on a credit card that I had proudly reduced by $400 this month. Oops!

We got to our 2 pm church service at 2:25. After the service I confessed to pastor where we had been. That confession felt good. Would you have confessed to your pastor the frivolous reason you were late? He really didn't seem upset with us. 

Wednesday morning I had my Geek appointment to get my new Mac with recovered files from the Trojan. Geek Erin was great. When I got home I did find that the keyboard and the mouse would work, but I had to buy a new monitor. I went to Staples and got one on sale for $89.99 and with a chord for $40.79. All in all my Mac computer was a lot cheeper than the old $3000 Mac I had gotten years ago. But the Staples techie said that Mac/Apple computers do get viruses and my three year Geek warranty doesn't cover them. Hmm! 

After I taught a DUI class from 3:30 to 7:30 on Wednesday, I stopped by to see Geek Erin again for more info. What the Staples techie told me was not true and she showed me on my  warranty and three-year contract that virus protection is included, should I get a virus. Erin did give me Best Buy Tech at 1-800-433-5778 for further help. Even though I have had several Apple computers, I found that I would need help at home to finish setting up the computer. Best Buy Tech could answer my questions for about $50, but they did give me Laura at 1-800-275-2273, an actual Apple/Mac tech who was wonderful and helped me with 5 of 7 issues. Getting Word, Excel and Power Point needs to happen with a Microsoft download and I forgot to ask Laura about hooking up my PC speakers to the Mac Mini.  That short-term memory of mine again! 

Small Mac Mini at left

Now, with MY short-term memory, I wonder if I will remember all of Laura's tricks. I do wish that ridding my hubby of Alzheimer's and memory loss would be that easy as taking a virus or a Trojan out of a computer. Sigh!