"Don't give out your personal information unless you have to," we usually hear folks say. We know that applies to our Social Security Numbers, our phone numbers, our addresses, and passwords to our accounts. But did you know that also applies to e-mail addresses? That's right. Email addresses. Hackers can now link e-mail addresses to our cell phone numbers and wreak irreparable damage. How do I know that? I was a victim of it.
I was lured into "the trap" by whom I thought was my cousin. I thought that I was chatting with him on Facebook (not face-to-face), but it wasn't him. He simply asked me for my email address and for a code that I would get after giving him my email address (he said that he was entering a contest). However, I did not receive a reply over email. My phone rang instead! My cousin does not have my cell phone number. However, I relayed the code given to me by the automated voice on my phone. That sealed my doom.
Minutes later, after much haranguing on my part, my real cousin came on and said that he was hacked and to please not take ANY calls. Too late, unfortunately.
So, along with nursing a massive headache yesterday, I spent most of my day changing my phone number and my login information everywhere. I feel violated. I feel stupid. I feel outsmarted.
So what is the lesson here? Keep your email address to yourself. Who knows what will fall into the hands of thieves? For me, some of my unpublished books (still unfinished) that I saved onto my Skydrive. That is what pains me the most.
So, keep your business private, and remember to not rely on technology to keep your secrets.
Cyndia Rios-Myers
No comments:
Post a Comment