HACKED :: Finding the Silver Lining In Having My Facebook Account Hacked
So I am really about to sound like an old fart. But I have never really understood the addiction to social media or the need to post every minute of your life on social media. Sure, I use it to keep up with classmates, coworkers and family. I scroll when I am somewhere waiting, at night before bed, when I need a break from staring at the computer at work. But I would definitely not say addicted. I rarely posted; I liked posts, commented on posts, and that was about it. In my mind, I could take it or leave it. That was until I GOT HACKED!
I woke up on a Friday morning, I couldn’t sleep, so I decided I would see what everyone was up to on the ‘Ol Book.’ I clicked the icon on my phone and this weird message pops up asking me to put in my password. A password that I don’t remember. So I click forgot password. And it all went downhill super fast. The hacker changed my password and email address and full control of my page. I texted a friend, to look at my page, she said everything looked fine. She then posted on her page not to accept a new friend request or click on any links that may come from me, as my page had been hacked.
I immediately went into crime fighter mode. My Facebook account was linked to a rarely used email account. I found the email where the hacker changed my info at 1:49am from Chicago. They changed it to a Hotmail account. I didn’t know people still used those! So I informed Facebook that it was not me that changed my password, because anyone who really knows me knows that I was sleeping at that time. I then changed the password to all of my email accounts, important financial apps, and anything where I would possibly enter personal information, as a precaution. Facebook then shut the account down.
Problem solved! Or was it?
I was happy for a half a minute. Then realization set in on how much I needed that stupid app. I mean, how am I supposed to watch my friends kids grow up? How am I supposed to keep up with family members? Then it really hit me. All if my kids school pages, and the social and community groups I belong to have pages (and subpages) where we communicate. How can I stay in the loop??? Then it gut punched me. The fitness program that I belong to, you know the one I wake up at the butt crack of dawn for, it’s all on Facebook! And I had zero access to it. The thought of all the workouts, recipes, and witty posts that I saved over the years being gone disgusted me. I would literally have to start from scratch. That was a though pill to swallow…
So I created a new account.
I had that same friend post that I started a new account, and it was ok to accept a friend request. So this page is secure, but I thought the other one was too. When I started this page, I decided to approach it differently. My old account was created in my 20s and had a lot of stuff that served 20 year old me and I added stuff throughout the years that served 30 year old me. But now I had the opportunity to curate a page that serves 40 something year old me. No more scrolling past posts because I don’t care to read this person’s negativity or bad grammar. No more scrolling past the overly political or divisive posts. No more scrolling past the Kardashian’s pages because I no longer cared to keep up with them. Sure, I could have deleted the pages, but due to the algorithm, they would still pop us as suggested things to follow.
So as of today, I have gained access to all of the pages I need. And I am actively requesting friends from my old page. So, if you know me and you got a request from me, it’s legit! And I am curating a page more suitable for me. Fitness, home decor, lifestyle hacks and tips, healthy recipes. And most importantly people I actually want to keep up with!
Again, I could have done all of this on my old page, but let’s be honest I didn’t have the time, energy, or interest for all of that. This situation taught me that what I thought was a simple app and a way to pass time, is actually a vital component to staying in touch and in the loop if used correctly. It kinda pains me to admit that i need it. Still upset over the memories and things saved on the old page, but most of the pics are saved on my phone, the others I am optimistic that they will pop up one day.
