Monthly Archives: April 2026

One More Tip

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve posted a series of tips over the past few weeks, hoping to keep your data safe from hackers.

One thing I might not have emphasized is to DISCONNECT your computer from the Internet!

This is crucial.

When hackers took possession of my computer, I could watch my curser travel around the blue screen. This is terrifying, as it means the hackers are clicking on sites or making purchases and there’s nothing you can do about it.

So, please, please, heed my advice:

If you suspect that hackers have taken over your device, or think that maybe they’ve done so, don’t take chances. Disconnect from the Internet, then turn off your computer.

Take you computer to someplace that can scan and remove viruses.

Keep safe!

Protecting Yourself, Continued

Posted on by
Reply

            My computer was recently hacked. I received a message from “Microsoft Security” that my system was compromised. Then my computer froze, a blue screen telling me not to turn it off.

            My son-in-law is a techie, so I called him. Because of the blue screen, there was nothing he could do as I had no control over anything. We decided to force turn it off. I did. It looked and operated normally.

            For one day.

            The blue screen returned. “Microsoft Security” called. I believed it was them. They had my personal information: SSN, DOB, full name and home address. They also knew every credit card I owned and where I bank.

            They “helped” me file a report with the Federal Trade Commission. The site they transferred me to looked authentic.

            I was a sucker.

            Once all that was done, thanks to advice from members of my family and good friends that I trust, I did the following: (Not necessarily in this order)

  1. Filed a police report with my local department.
  2. Filed an identity theft report with social security. IdnetifyTheft.gov
  3. Froze our credit so no one could take out a loan in my name. (go to all three major credit reporting agencies. Equifax, Esperian and Transunion
  4. Filed reports with my credit card companies, cancelled those cards and asked for new ones.
  5. Changed all my passwords and user names to incomprehensible combinations.
  6.  Filed a report with the REAL FTC (by the way, the real site is identical with the fake one!)
  7. Filed a report with the FBI Internet Crime Complain Center
  8. Contacted everywhere we have money saved. Most froze our accounts while they ran their own fraud investigations
  9. Had our bank flag our accounts, which turned out to be a good thing as the scammers attempted to steal all our money.
  10. Shared my experience with everyone in the hopes that this wouldn’t happen to them
  11. The scammers attempted to make purchase on Amazon, using my information. I froze Amazon for almost a month.
  12. I looked at past credit card statements to see if there were accounts I might have missed, then changed those accounts as well.

I hope this helps keep you safe.

Two More Tips

Posted on by
Reply

The past several weeks I’ve been sharing all the steps I’ve taken after my computer was hacked and my personal data stolen.

This post will be short!

  1. My banker recommended disabling online banking. Period. For good.

She said that, in her experience, most of her customers who are hacked, are hit because of online banking. Crooks are savvy and can easily figure out how to access online accounts!

2. Check your banking and savings accounts regularly. Look for strange transfers of money. Scammers often start by transferring small amounts, as little as one cent. If that goes through, they will then steal all your money. If that happens, I’ve been told it’s nearly impossible to get your money back.

3. Tell all your friends what’s happened to you. Your experience might protect them from having the same thing happen to them.

4. My last (hopefully last) tip is to keep records.

Create a file in which you keep copies of the ways hackers affected you, from photos of your frozen computer screen, to all the places you filed fraud complaints.

Good luck!