OT: My facebook account has been hijacked

[phlflyer1]

Hi Leon,

Hopefully you don't mind me posting this but I wanted to let the Net 54 community know that I was informed a little while ago that someone has hijacked my facebook account and is contacting people pretending to be me.

I've deactivated my account and changed the password but I wanted to let anyone on here know that if they've received any strange emails or contact from someone claiming to be me that it wasn't me.

Regards,

Scott

[Smokey Joe]

Facebook is the worst for hackers/viruses. I have gotten 2 that tried to infiltrate my account in the last few months but since i have a great anti-spyware/virus program they were unable to take it over. I once got a program try and start when i clicked on a friends pic!!!

What you have is not new....many people have said their accounts were taken over asking for money from other friends.

[M's_Fan]

Facebook and myspace are playgrounds for identity theives...
They can get tons of personal info about you from these sites.

I've heard its really hard to actuall erase your account from facebook, you can deactivate it, but not erase your account entirely, but if you (or someone pretending to be you) logs on, it will automatically reactivate it. I would call Facebook and ask them to erase your account entirely, and then threaten to sue their pants off if they didn't....

[phlflyer1]

Mark,

That is exactly what was happening apparently. A hobby friend contacted me that someone was using my account to tell people that I was stranded overseas and needed money.

[Leon]

No worries...Hope you get it worked out quickly. I think I know how you feel a little bit .

[Smokey Joe]

Scott....did you allow a new friend recently?

[phlflyer1]

Hi Mark,

Haven't added anyone in the last week or two at least. Apparently this scam of someone hijacking your facebook account and then telling your friends/contacts that you are stranded and need money is pretty common.

Leon,

Thanks for letting me make the OT post.

Scott

[FUBAR]

I had someone hack mine and tell my family members i was killed in a car accident on Christmas eve...... So i told them that unless i call you and tell you i am dead, dont believe it! ( my dry sense of humor)

[D. Bergin]

Jeez, I wondered why I was occasionally getting requests for emergency funds from people I kind of, but barely knew. What's scary is they were very specific about related interests between myself and these other people.

Last time I was like "the nerve of this guy!". You better be a blood relative or a blood brother to ask me for $1000. I don't care if you ARE trapped in a bear pit in Uganda.

[FUBAR]

hard to believe they have internet access in a bear pit in Uganda! gee next thing you know, some Nigerian King wants to share his $500 million with me.... wow, i love the internet so much!

[barrysloate]

Dave- there seems to be an awfully large number of very wealthy Nigerians dying in plane crashes nearly every day (don't these pilots check out the plane before takeoff?), and they all seem to leave wills that only someone in the United States can unravel. And would you believe in almost every one of these instances, they contact me to help them? Here I am, having never taken even a single course in wills and trusts, and yet these fine people halfway around the globe trust me enough to help them retrieve their inheritances. And what's even better, I will receive 10% of the total amount if I can get it done.

Sometimes I feel like the luckiest guy in the world.

[D. Bergin]

I'm just glad to see Africa is doing so well. They must have more millionaires per capita then Beverly Hills.

Speaking of which. How come I never get any offers from the relatives of esophageal cancer victims in Beverly Hills to share in their wealth?

Seems a bit greedy to me.

[FUBAR]

Just do what i do, i respond that I dont trust banks, so i only deal in cash. I have a large room where i keeps my piles of cash, That they should feel free to send me their 500 million in cash to hold for them, and when the time comes, i will send them back 90% in cash! surprising you never hear from them again....

[FUBAR]

I watched a documentray on the NIgerian scams and the likes, and these guys are considered heroes in their countries for this. Alot of what is being done has hidden government approval. Its much like the Somali pirates, its the only income for the villages, so these guys are living like kings, and everyone worships them and in return they get a little piece of the pie for their village.

IN the documentary, they showed whole computer labs where nothing but internet fraud goes on. If they get a nibble on the email, it gets moved to the next department for the next guy to further solicit you for your info. Its crazy how these people feel this is justified.

Once again, Sam Kinison said it right... the reason you have no food, is because you live in the f'in desert... move!!!!!!!

[Griffins]

I was the one that was talking to "Scott" this morning. It was the same person and same wording they used on me a few months ago (after hijacking another friends account), saying they were in London and were robbed at gunpoint, and could I wire some money to them via Western Union.
The scary thing is they have access to your pictures, family members names, etc. so it can seem credible.
Beware on live chat, and ask a question that only the person you're supposed to be talking to will know.