When your ID is stolen...

[Paul Mc]

I just had mine stolen and my accounts drained.

If this should ever happen to you, be sure to change and update your email security and passwords! Be sure to change your email passwords and security settings. Also, someone who has hacked your email and/or facebook has probably asked for all emails to be sent to them by features in your email account. Ensure that no one has changed your notification features anywhere!

Protect yourselves and start a journal of what you discovered when and where, and what you did to protect yourself!

Pray for me guys, I fear a very bumpy road ahead.

[jrodpad]

So sorry Paul. I cant even imagine how scary that must be.

Sending good vibes.

-J

[silken]

So sorry, what kind of ID was stolen? I hope it all works out. Keep us posted.

[Anisa]

So sorry to hear that. Hopefully it will be straitened out soon.

[Discus]

Sorry to hear that, Paul. Was this done through cloned cards or electronically?

If electronically, make sure there are no keyloggers or malware installations on your PC, particularly not on any PC you might use for banking etc.

A note - never use internet banking sites on unknown PCs, like in internet cafes - it's quite popular particularly in overseas destination as a source of income to steal your login through electronic or software keyloggers.

Also make absolutely sure that you use end-to-end encryption (like https) on any site you might visit and log into, particularly on wireless networks or networks you don't fully trust. Remember there are a lot of computers/networks between you and the sites you visit. It's trivial to steal your facebook login for instance through a wireless network, unless you login using https. So many people have One Login they use *everywhere* so once they have that one, it's fun times! I personally have "tiers" of user/passwords - ones I need to have unique (important/financial systems); "I don't really care" logins for sites that demand you sign up to them to do some trivial once off thing; and then I have ones that I care somewhat about.

Good luck Paul!

[RosieC]

Really hope you can get it sorted Paul

Originally Posted by Discus

It's trivial to steal your facebook login for instance through a wireless network, unless you login using https.

I just want to add to this. Facebook login is secure on https BUT (and it's a very big BUT) by default once you have logged in it switches to http (unsecure).

People have found a way of mirroring your login session without logging in. Put simply this means that once you log in securely they can get hold of an internal facebook session ID and can use that without ever finding out your password. This is mainly a problem in wireless networks and phone connections, but can happen on any network where they can intercept the information being passed arround.

There is an option on facebook to run the entire connection on https which stops anyone getting pretending to be you on facebook in the above way. To find this go to Account Settings -> Account Security and choose 'Secure Browsing (https).

However I've noticed it keeps unsetting it's self (not sure why) so every time you browse check that the address in the bar at the top of your browser starts with https://

I'm not saying this is how they got you Paul, but thought it a good opertunity to alert people to this security flaw and it's solution.

[camille1585]

I tried running Facebook only on https like you say Rosie, but I was getting extremely pissed off at the pop ups everytime I left the FB site (ex to go to game apps and such) warning me that I was leaving the secure network. So I deactivated again. I'm hoping that my multiple levels of passwords (ie: super complex for paypal + bank, another for emails, another for FB, and another for all the forums and such that you need to sign up for) will keep the inportant stuff safe if I got trouble on FB or other things like that.

[Jennyfleur]

How awful! I hope everything gets sorted for you. I don't know what kind of support/ advice networks there are over there, but hopefully someone can help and advise you. **Big OB Hugs**

[Eyebabe]

Paul,

So very sorry. I hope it all gets straight for you and I also hope they somehow catch the jerks who did this to you.

[PinkCloud]

Paul, I'm so sorry to hear that this has happened to you! You will be in my prayers..
And we will travel with you here at OB, how ever bumpy the road ahed might be!