Hacked

We have all seen it. Someone gets hacked on Facebook and anything from offensive pictures to scams to deleting one’s account can happen.


The time that I got hacked was a little bit of my own fault. Someone was using my computer at the house, so I went to the office center at the apartments to use the common computer. Since I normally was on Facebook on my own computer, I never logged out. I just turned off the computer when I was finished. I did the same thing on the apartment computer. Note to self: that is fine on your personal computer, but never do it on one shared by strangers.


A teenage girl got on the computer after me, pulled up my Facebook, and wrote obscenities on my wall. She added, “I want to kill myself.” Then, she wrote, “I hate my fat-*** son” and several other terrible things.  I had no idea this was happening. I was at home watching Desperate Housewives on the TV.


I received a  phone call from my Pastor, Teresa Welborn, informing me of the activity on my account. Apparently, fellow church members who are Facebook friends were horrified at what they read, and called her, concerned about me. As soon as we got off of the phone, her kind husband wrote a note telling people that I had been hacked. 


When I got to my account and read the things that were written, I was embarrassed, horrified and angry. I printed out what was written, and then deleted it and put a note on my page that I had been hacked.

I had two new emails. One was from a high school teacher that I had telling me to please go talk to my pastor immediately. I had to laugh. I didn’t have to call my pastor. She called me. Another email was from a former boyfriend asking what was wrong. Now, I was really mad. Nobody wants a former boyfriend to think that anything is wrong….ever. We just want our former loves to think that our world is simply perfect; well, that is, since they have been gone. 

I did some investigation and found out who the teenager was who perpetrated this crime. For every story like mine, there are probably thousands more.

I learned the hard way to log out of Facebook anytime I am on a computer other than my own; even if I turn off the computer. I report suspicious activity to friends if I see it on their accounts, and I notify Facebook immediately about problems.

I am so thankful that Pastor Teresa called me when she did and that she felt comfortable with telling me. And I am thankful that no permanent damage was done. But I did miss the ending of Desperate Housewives.

copyright 2011 by Kathy Robbins