Coming so soon on the heels of my credit card details being stolen, I could be fooled into thinking that I'm being targeted by some shadowy online mafia.
If anyone starts receiving odd blog posts that don't seem to be related to anything in particular, you could be witnessing yet another cyber attack. Or, you know, it could just be my normal blog. It's hard to tell.
At first, I thought it was just a matter of resetting my password and deleting the post about clothing written in another language.
Simple and straightforward.
There was also a notice on my ad account saying that it wouldn't authorise any further transactions on the account until I re-verified my details there too.
I figured that would just stop me leaping into another bout of advertising frenzy when a strange idea took my fancy, so I didn't bother.
Later, when I was accessing my author page, my account asked me if I wanted to use my Facebook business to manage my Facebook page or continue using my personal profile.
What's my Facebook business?
I clicked on yes, as you do, and discovered that one of my Facebook friends was now the name of my Facebook business account, while another Facebook friend was the name of my advertising account.
The little rat-b*****ds. What were my friends doing setting up an account under my Facebook page?
Well, of course they weren't. And kudos on Facebook for realising that I wouldn't suddenly open up a business account and try to spend actual money on advertising.
That was the cyber thieves downfall, right there.
I've taken out ads on Facebook before, but with such a teeny, tiny threshold that when someone tried to use actual money to run an ad they knew something was going on.
Setting up an ad with a budget of $5.00 and then stopping it after it clocked up $2.47? That's me.
Setting up an ad with a budget of $1000.00? Thieves.
Please note that if you follow me on Facebook and see any posts in your account that look out of the ordinary I could just be in a strange mood. Then again, I could be hacked.
I don't have a Facebook account and never will, as a schoolmarm with a lot of students who do have them. But I would immediately be suspicious of any message that said,"Your account is closed till you login and confirm your details." Fortunately you can check the email address. I have often had emaiłs from "Google staff" or whatever that had a personal email, and not @gmail. And I've had warnings about my bank account with a bank I don't have an account with! When I get a message with an account belonging to a company, I forward it to the company with a message saying, "This is what your employee is doing in your time!" ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that the message you got was the real thing.