THE BREACH

 

At first the email seemed innocuous enough. Supposedly it was from my friend Rose who moved to another Florida city a few years back. However we continue to keep in touch.

I was instructed to click on a link which I was told was self-explanatory. As I began I noticed the email looked off. Suddenly I stopped and looked closer. This was NOT Rose!

Fake Rose emails kept arriving! Saying things such as "Do you remember the two ladies in these photos?" Click the link below. -- Of course I didn't!

Often when I went to my inbox I noticed a number of new emails from the real Rose had already been opened, -- ones I hadn't read yet!

I told Rose I thought a third party was reading our emails. I could tell she thought I was paranoid.

"My emails would bore another reader!" she kept telling me.

We don't exchange nuclear secrets, but that's not the reason for this, it's to trick me into clicking a dangerous link granting further access to a scammer. Always I sent these straight to spam!

For awhile, they stopped and Rose went on a trip to Hawaii.

I've never been to Hawaii. (I'm the only one I know who hasn't and I've been a whole lot of places too.) So after Rose's return I mentioned that I was excited to see her photos.

Well the very next day I received an email from fake Rose stating, "Oh Dianne I've lots of photos from last week & the weekend to show you!" -- All that was required of me was to click a link to view; which I didn't!

Late on the eve of Easter I went to my inbox. There I found notification of a breach from ATT, my passcode had been compromised. -- Proof I wasn't paranoid!

Easter morning I phoned ATT. I knew I'd be speaking with India since Easter is not celebrated there. I explained to the man that I am a senior and lacked the skills to change my passcode online.

The man spoke English well. He was patient and polite to this old lady who barely knows beans about technology. -- Not everyone is when calling 800 numbers concerning computer issues! Many have gotten short with me and I've been snapped at. What they don't seem to understand is that it's equally as frustrating for me.

My passcode was changed. Afterward I made other changes including putting Fraud Alerts on everything!

Less than a week later I received a letter from TransUnion informing me they were unable to locate my credit report! I own a home & car pay insurance & taxes, have several credit cards & a passport. Yet according to them I didn't exist!

I went online and found my credit report immediately!

Then I looked at the letter again. It had a P.O. return address. Wouldn't you think the place would have a brick and mortar one? Also it had an 800 phone number. My financial advisor told me not to call that one, but to look online. And sure enough I found a different 800 to call.

After two repeated calls with long menu go-rounds I was finally squared away.

Now I was getting a flurry of calls from unknowns which normally I don't pick-up. However I was expecting a call from an electrician. My answering machine is upstairs and I was downstairs.

Someone on the other end of the line wanted to turn my last novel The House of Sin and Splendor into a movie -- but I was expected to pay for it!!! I told the guy he must have me confused with the billion dollar lottery winner and hung up.

I'm a senior citizen struggling more than ever to get by on a fixed income. However there's plenty of human scum out there who would steal my last two dimes without compunction!

My friend Rose fearing I'd click a wrong link snail-mailed her photos to me. When I reached inside my mailbox many of them fell lose in my hand. Unbelievable! The envelope had been slashed open!

Geez, crooks are everywhere.