Cyber Attacks Created Year Of Tears
By Sharon Devaney
Swattings of anti-corruption crusaders are in the news. I’m far from the most prominent but include me among the victims, of at least something similar.
My experiences didn’t concern armed police. These cyber-attacks led to a year of misery, tears and despair, however. My bank account was robbed. Notices from Toyota were never received leading to missed payments.
The most dangerous attack might have been when I never was told my health insurance payments had stopped. I didn’t realize that I had gone six-months without health insurance until renewal time came in December and I was wondering why I wasn’t getting the usual email and text warnings from my provider.
There was good reason for the missing emails. Someone changed my email address on their records to one I hadn’t used in more than decade.
I learned that this address had also been changed on bonus plans including at CVS, Claire’s and Victoria Secrets. The most recent revelation was that it was changed at my accountant, which is why I hadn’t gotten the usual reminders this tax season that I actually depend on.
So why didn’t I get text messaging?
That’s where the swatting connection comes in. Swatters use the actual phone numbers of their victims when making their false 911 reports.
I’m certain someone had been using this tech to block my phone number from long-time friends and clients. One close friend said she received an insulting text from me. I never sent it, of course, and she knows me well enough to not think I did. I wonder, though, if others who I don’t see regularly got similar ones.
If they did, please know it wasn’t me.
Other troubling/frightening things were an inability to send messages on Facebook and the disappearance of my Uber app after an ordered a ride. Even the driver was perplexed as to that happening.
I reported the bank theft to Haverford Police and my bank was able to make good on it. I’ve also made a reports to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3.gov), along with the security offices at my health insurance provider, Verizon and Apple.
I have a new phone number and things seem to be working. I’m back in touch with some old friends, my car payments are up-to-date and I have health insurance.
If you are a friend or old client please send me a note at info@BillLawrenceOnline.com and I’ll give you my contact info.
Whoever did this though deserves to rot for a long time in a bad prison.
The tears, fear and despair were real.
