In the past week, my Google account was compromised, my loved one’s Facebook and email were compromised, and my work account received multiple phishing emails, one of which looked official (it wasn’t).  

The work email came from a coworker that looked legitimate. In my job, we receive a lot of documents, so it made sense that this was one of those. However, something about the email was different. It was not the normal delivery method or file type. I reached out to the coworker who allegedly sent it, and they said they did NOT send it. Thankfully, I had not opened the attachment or clicked on any links. But I had thought about doing so, which could have been a disaster! 

In the family Facebook situation, a friend had messaged my wife asking for her phone number, to help with a security matter. My wife gave it, and within minutes, Facebook had locked her account for suspicious activity. The hacker then took the info to my wife’s email account and tried to hack it as well. Fortunately, they notified my wife online when she checked her email. In both cases, it took quite a while to follow the security steps and get the accounts back secured. Third-party authentication (or having another device you can log in from) was also required. 

In my Google situation, I had multiple old passwords (on over 60 accounts) that had been exposed or vulnerable. Part of that was on me, for using the same password for years (I no longer do that). Of course, Google gives me the choice to remember passwords, which is convenient; but then in my most recent exposure, it suggested I delete them from Google’s memory, which I did. It felt great to finally get things cleaned up. 

I also removed my credit card info from Google, due to the recent compromise. I use different cards for different situations, so if one gets hacked (which happened to my main credit card last year), hopefully not everything is interrupted. Last year I had to start over with a new card, and then change all my auto-payment info on the bills the card was attached to. I love the rewards and positive credit history I earn by paying my bills automatically with my credit card. But when there’s an exposure, it can be massive. I’ve started using a different card for more risky purchases (like fast food or sit-down restaurants, where the server takes my card away for the payment), versus the one I use for auto-bill pay.  

There are some great resources to help with fraud protection and prevention. One is through the Federal Trade Commission – Consumer Advisor. They have a section on “Identity Theft and Online Security.”  

Please protect yourself! Watch your accounts for suspicious activity. Stay vigilant with online activities, social networking, scam calls and texts, and “cries for help.”. Separately verify if it’s really your friend, coworker, or (fake) business needing something from you. Don’t give your info up.! Verify separately and remember, some things are not worth it (or too good to be true). Stay vigilant! 

In an increasingly digital world, the threat of fraud looms large, as evidenced by my personal experiences. Together, we can mitigate risks and stay safe online.