Social media accounts hacked and taken over by crooks are a growing trend, and it doesn’t seem like anyone is immune from being a target.
“It’s not just Instagram. It’s not just Facebook. It’s Twitter. It’s LinkedIn,” said Chris Hills, chief security strategist at BeyondTrust, a company that helps other businesses. protect sensitive information.
Hills said that if you use any type of online account, you could be a target.
In the past, fraudulent links and spam mainly came in the form of email, but now they can be posted to a hacked account, attracting more daily attention and more money for the crooks.
“When you multiply all the different social media platforms by the number of people using the social media platforms, you can easily see why this is such a huge target,” Hills said.
One of those targets was a Valley mother whose husband Justin tells us she never thought she would be on lockdown, only sharing photos for family and friends.
“I’m just like, what are they doing with the pictures of my kids?” Justin said.
He says that at first his wife tried to reset the password, but it didn’t work. She then tried to follow the “how-to” guides provided by Instagram.
“She uploaded a photo of herself, so they could, you know, say, ‘Oh, the photo of you matches the photo in your Instagram photos,” ”Justin said.
But even that didn’t work, so he tried to get Instagram’s CEO attention on Twitter. However, instead of getting his attention, crooks sent him a message promising to get the account back. They ghosted him after he sent $ 150.
“There is literally no way you can talk to a real person with Instagram,” Justin said.
We asked Instagram how they were fighting hackers and how the family could access the photo, they never responded.
To protect you:
Use different passwords for each account when possible. Apps like Bitwarden, Lastpass, and 1Password can help you remember this.
Also enable two-factor authentication. If you set this up before hackers come in, they can’t lock you down without having your phone.
