(WHTM) — It’s happening to more and more Facebook members, you discover someone hacked your page! And, getting your page — and your friends — back can be next to impossible.
Cissie Lowe is a huge Elvis fan. She founded an Elvis fan page on Facebook, gaining 32,000 followers. Until recently, when a hacker took it over and locked her out.
“A month ago, it got stolen from me. And nothing’s been done about it,” Lowe said. “I couldn’t even get in it, took my admin status away.”
Lowe believes a hacker in Indonesia now controls the group she founded seven years ago. So, how did a scammer get her password?
Scams where someone takes control of your Facebook page or some other social media site are all too common. But, one phishing scheme, in particular, has impacted 10 million people and counting.
A recent NPR report says account hacking appears widespread this year. Facebook will not confirm but experts are not sure if users are falling victim to phishing scams, or maybe the victims of automated hacking botds.
The same thing happened last year to Cathy Ebert.
“One day I went to get on Facebook, and was denied access to my page,” Ebert said. “It was my profile picture, with an erroneous address, and someone named Thomas Wilson.”
Someone locked her out, shutting off dozens of former colleagues scattered around the world. When she searched for herself, she was shocked that turned up.
Cyber security experts say you should do the following:
- Set up two-factor authentication, so you get a text if anyone tries to change your password.
- Don’t use the same password on Facebook and other sites.
- Don’t open emails that appear to come from Facebook; they are usually phishing scams
If your page is hacked, you have to use their automated message system to try to get help. You cannot call Facebook. So be careful and don’t waste your money.
