Last Friday I was on the phone talking with a member of my church. During the conversation, I noticed my phone was getting several calls, text messages, and messages on Messenger. The first call I got was another member of my church telling me I had been hacked on Facebook. My sister called telling me the same thing. I immediately tried to get into my Facebook account but was told MY PASSWORD HAD BEEN CHANGED!!! .............WHAT??? I can't put into words the emotions I was feeling. Total panic, despair, anger, hopelessness and fear are some good adjectives. The feeling that a total stranger is controlling your social media makes one feel totally violated. The fact you can't do anything about it is also very frustrating. In my lifetime I have been robbed twice. Once in college someone stole a Boom Box (remember those) out of my car. That was my fault being that I should have never left it in my car. Somehow the thieves unlocked my car and ran off with my Boom Box. Lesson learned! Several years later when I was on staff at SGT, someone stole petty cash out of my desk drawer. I believe it was someone who was on staff at the church (and no, not one of the other pastors). I quickly bought a lockable safe box I kept in my desk that opened with a key. Lesson learned and problem solved!
I think it's amazing that there are individuals out there who have nothing better to do than steal identity from others. We never had this problem years ago. We always have to be careful not to share personal information online or even on the phone. I saw a special on TV that showed how telemarketers tried to persuade the elderly to donate money to charities that don't even exist. There are con artists everywhere around this world who try to con innocent people and steal from them. It's unbelievable and also very sad.
The good news is I was able to convince the folks at Facebook that I was the real Dave Harff by sending them a photo ID. I did want to say to you all please be careful when you receive a message on Messenger that says, "Can you do me a favor?" Make sure it is the real person and not a hacker. If they are asking for money, let that be a huge Red Flag! Also make it a habit to change your password on social media on a regular basis. In the past, you could trust people but in today's day and age DO NOT TRUST ANYONE! I only have three social media accounts. Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok. I used to have a Twitter account, but I honestly don't understand Twitter which is now X.
To conclude, there is someone you can always trust...THE LORD! Thank God for that!!
BE CAREFUL ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND HAVE A BLESSED DAY!!
