Sask. woman gets thousands in credit card charges after hackers lock her out of Facebook page
Sask. woman gets thousands in credit card charges after hackers lock her out of Facebook page
An Outlook woman has been locked out of her online business’ Facebook page for months and she says she’s starting to lose hope.
Rochelle Annala first realized something was wrong on a Saturday in November when she logged into Facebook to make the first post of the weekend on her page, Bibs and Boots Fabric. The page didn’t look right. She couldn’t access the admin controls.
“I couldn't get in to post. It made it look; made my business page look like I was a visitor,” said Annala.
“And then I got, like, virtually within minutes, I got two notifications on my phone that someone had charged thousands of dollars on my Visa.”
Annala says it looks like they may have gotten access to her personal account, added themselves as an admin on her Facebook page and then kicked her off.
The charges to her Visa were for Facebook ads, and she says she’s got no information from Facebook as to what ads were purchased, nor can she see who’s now the admin of the page.
Annala emailed Facebook’s parent company Meta to tell them what was going on. Getting the money refunded was easy, but getting access to the stolen page has been a frustrating journey.
“I tried every email that I could find for them … same answer every time,” she said. “It’s been a long, arduous process, and stressful, right? Because I can’t see when customers message me. I can’t see when they comment or anything.”
Her Instagram is linked to her Facebook account, so she says her posts still end up on the Facebook page, but she’s worried about what else this hacker could do now.
Having a security breach like this can be really harmful for a company, says Saskatoon-based software developer Chad Jones.
“Because people can post as you, they can pretend to be you,” he said. “It can damage your reputation.”
It’s possible the hackers are using the account to try to exploit other Facebook users, Jones said.
“So once they hack your account, the standard practice is they will probably send messages to everyone you know, trying to get them to click on links in order to get access to computers, things like that, right?”
Judging by a message Annala received on Monday, the hacker may have access to some customer emails as well.
“This lady messaged and said, ‘I think someone’s hacked your account, because I’m getting emails from people about your business.’ Oh my god, I didn’t even think of that.”
CTV News reached out to Meta for comment on Monday. A media spokesperson took her information and said they would look into it.
If Meta does restore her access to the page, Jones suggests Annala should go over the security settings very carefully, and make sure two-factor authentication is set up on all her associated accounts.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is pushing for special rapporteur David Johnston to 'step aside' from his role examining the issue of foreign interference before he embarks on public hearings.
New Democrat MP Jenny Kwan said Monday that Canada's spy agency has confirmed her long-held belief she is being targeted by the Chinese government, as the prime minister granted the NDP's wish to allow more party members to review top-secret intelligence.
William Karlsson, William Carrier and Jonathan Marchessault are finally getting another chance in the Stanley Cup Final, after the first one that came so quick for the Vegas Golden Knights.
Eastern Conference finals Most Valuable Player Jimmy Butler scored 28 points, and Caleb Martin had 26 points and 10 rebounds to help the eighth-seeded Miami Heat beat the Celtics 103-84 in Game 7 on Monday night and advance to the NBA Finals for the second time in four seasons.
Canadian political leaders and parliamentarians are denouncing a new law passed in Uganda that imposes harsh penalties, including the death penalty, for certain cases involving homosexuality.
There's a heightened risk of wildfires across the country during what has been one of the earliest fire seasons on record. From British Columbia to Nova Scotia, here's where the risk is highest.
New research from Penn State University found certain factors can contribute to reducing what’s known as the 'urban heat island' effect, and that climate knowledge can contribute to better city planning and design.
The first twister of 2023 in the country touched down near Regina over the weekend, according to an analysis from the Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP).
One person from Estevan, Sask. is dead and another is seriously injured following a collision between a pickup truck and a motorcycle on May 28 near Fortuna, North Dakota.
A Winnipeg family is asking for help to find their missing teenage son whom they haven't seen since he left for school in the Fort Richmond area last Wednesday morning.
The body of a Winnipeg boy who fell into Sturgeon Falls on Saturday has been found following a desperate underwater search that lasted more than a day.
One long-time electoral tradition came to an end on election day, when Postmedia announced there would be no printed newspaper announcing the winner in Calgary.
Over 170,000 elementary and high school students weighed in on the Alberta election and the NDP had to hope the real voters were listening, because they won the kids' vote.
The Sandy Hill Child Care Centre has an extra two weeks to get its new home up to code months after a fire destroyed its original site on Wilbrod Street.
Ottawa police are praising a local dad for quickly calling for help Sunday afternoon when he accidentally locked his keys in his car, and his infant child along with them.
Ontario Provincial Police say a driver from Augusta Township is facing an impaired driving charge after someone on Highway 416 spotted a vehicle moving erratically.
On Monday, Fraser Health provided two senior leaders to address the latest letter outlining risks to patients, allegations of muzzling, and pleas for help from emergency physicians in the health authority's hospitals.
The president of the BC Trucking Association is issuing renewed calls for safety after a trailer truck smashed into an overhead pass Monday morning in Langley.
The union representing the majority of Quebec's daycare workers is criticizing the government's decision to launch a skimpy 90-hour training program for people who want to be daycare workers but have no prior experience.
A Quebec driver who caused the death of another motorist when he swerved his truck to avoid hitting a family of ducks on the road has been sentenced to eight months in jail and a three-year driving ban.
Capital Bike is encouraging Greater Victoria residents to choose cycling as a way to get around the region during "Go By Bike Week," which runs from May 29 to June 4.
The body of a Winnipeg boy who fell into Sturgeon Falls on Saturday has been found following a desperate underwater search that lasted more than a day.
