Thanks to two-factor authentication (2FA) I was able to retrieve my Facebook and Instagram accounts. So if you have not registered for your 2FA, I suggest you do it before you get a message from your relatives and friends asking why you are begging for money from them and sending it to an unknown account. So many stars have been victims of scammers on Facebook, and they are getting smarter by the minute. A business account of a friend of mine had more than 20,000 followers, and somehow the hackers were able to get hold of the account and changed the name and page in an instant. After they kidnapped my Facebook account, they immediately changed my email and phone number retrieval, so I will not be able to log in anymore. It took me several hours to get it back. Thank God, I did!  Here is how I almost lost my Facebook and my 272,000 followers. Thank you, Lord, for protecting and saving me from these hackers:

The first tip: Never share your codes with anyone! I got a message on Instagram from an IG account called  “meta.verse.support” with more than one million followers telling me that they have approved my request for a blue badge for one of my requested accounts. Then they said they will send me through the Facebook account number a code in my cellphone to verify if it was my account and I should text them the code. And I did it. My husband who is a tech -guy working for an oil company told me, “For a magna cum laude, you're pretty….," he stops because he still wants to sleep in our bed. But I am!!! I got so excited with the blue badge, I totally forgot the rule – Never share a code with anyone. So this is what they did.  Somehow they got hold of my personal number, and they went to my Facebook page and pressed “Forgot Password”. Then Facebook will naturally send me the code, which I stupidly gave them for a fake blue badge. Can I just bury myself six feet under the ground? So again, I repeat, never ever share any code sent to you by Facebook with anyone! And block the account “meta.verse.support” on Instagram! Goodness, when they fooled me, they had 1M plus followers. Now when I went back to it to check the exact number of followers to write here in my column, as of the moment, I write this column, they are down to 0 followers. I’m not sure if my reporting the incident to Instagram had some bearing. I hope it did!

Giselle Sanchez

 
The second tip, turn on your two-factor authentication. So the hacker did not stop. He texts me on my what's app page and tells me to turn off my two-factor authentication to prevent the hacker from constantly changing the password. Ok this time around, he will not fool me, Ha!!! My husband is beside me!! If I was alone, maybe just maybe I would have been scammed again! Fool me once is ok but fool me twice—just jump off a cliff, Giselle Sanchez!

The third tip, use the recommended authenticator app as an added layer of protection in case hackers will log in from different devices. Download the Google Authenticator app or Duo Mobile. This will give you peace of mind. 

 Lastly, I would like to thank Facebook for believing it was really me, yes I live in the Philippines. I do not live in Turkey!!  Keep safe everyone and make sure you are protected physically, spiritually, and virtually!!