WIND LAKE, Wis. — As social media becomes even more integrated into our lives, so do the bad actors who have access to those platforms. Now, the I-Team is looking into Facebook hacking, why it happens, who hackers are targeting, and how to protect yourself.
Emily Jahimiak's a mother in Wind Lake. She uses Facebook like a lot of us.
"You post a picture, and you write a funny story, or a story of your kids growing up, or something funny that happened during your day," Jahimiak said.
Last month, Jahimiak started receiving dozens of calls and texts from family and friends after her account started looking different.
"This person has been posting multiple times a day, trying to solicit business, and is selling crypto through my page," Jahimiak explained.
A friend took a screen recording of Jahimiak's Facebook page. It shows post, after post, after post of the hackers using Jahimiak's name and images trying to sell crypto.
Jahimiak said the hackers changed her email address and phone number associated with the account, so she's locked out. She said she's tried to get in contact with someone on Facebook for the last month, but the company hasn't helped.
"Maybe they're looking for inactive accounts. It's really disturbing to me that I have no control over it. Friends and family, God forbid, someone takes this seriously and spends money. It's embarrassing," Jahimiak said.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) said when it comes to Facebook, they see more problems than solutions. Meta, the company that owns Facebook, has an "F" rating on the BBB's site. Meta also has nearly 3,000 complaints filed in the last year.
"A lot of things that we do see is consumers having issues logging into or getting their accounts back if they've been scammed," Alma Galvan said.
Galvan's with the BBB in California. The I-Team reached out to her since that's where Meta is located. She said they're seeing an increase in social media hackers.
"It's really important to understand what we're agreeing to when we have accounts on social media, and also being cautious when we're clicking on things when we're seeing ads, and when we're accepting friend requests from people we don't know," Galvan added.
The BBB recommends having different passwords for things like your social media accounts, Amazon, and your bank. Don't use personal information in your passwords and make sure you're changing passwords a few times a year. That can reduce the risk of hackers. Also, if two-factor authentication is available, the BBB recommends having that in place. Lastly, change your at-home WiFi name and password from the one the provider gives. All these tips can make it harder for hackers to attack.
The I-Team tried to contact Facebook several times and never heard back. If you are hacked on any platform, you can file a report with the BBB here.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.