'A nightmare': Ontario man said he was hacked and locked out of Facebook
An Ontario man said a conversation he had over Facebook messenger turned into a nightmare after he was hacked and locked out of his account.
“My cell phone began to blow up on me. It was my friends saying you have been hacked and messages were going out to all my contacts," said Eric Dugan of Scarborough.
Dugan said he checks in on his Facebook account every day and in March he got a strange message from someone who appeared to be a friend.
"I was contacted by somebody who I thought was a contact of mine and they said they were locked out of Facebook and they needed five people to verify who they were," said Dugan.
Dugan decided to help the person out and was told he would be sent a code on messenger and he had to send it back.
However, once he sent the message back he was locked out of his Facebook account and his friends started getting messages about investment scams.
"Within a minute my account started changing and they changed my email and my phone number and I was locked out of my account," said Dugan.
Cyber security experts say there are currently many scams on Facebook you have to watch out for.
"The way people are able to pose as other people and steal photos is at an all time high. There are about 15 different scams taking place on Facebook right now,” said Mohit Rajhans, Media Consultant with Think Start Inc.
According to Facebook, to protect yourself from being hacked use strong passwords, two factor authentication, backup your photos and documents, don't stay logged in and be suspicious of links and third party apps.
Because Facebook and other social media companies don't charge users for their services, Rajhans said it's often difficult to get help when there is a problem.
"They are going to come back to you and say well if you exchange information with someone online, that is something that you have willingly done and unfortunately they are not the ones to blame,” said Rajhans.
CTV News Toronto reached out to Facebook on Dugan’s behalf and they were able to help him restore his accounts, contacts and retrieve his photos.
"I’m very happy it’s finally over. It was turning into a nightmare,” said Dugan.
It’s not just on Facebook, Rajhans advises that you have to be careful on Instagram, Twitter and other social media websites, use antivirus software and ignore suspicious links and ads.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
BREAKING Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
'Violation': CSIS had officer investigated after she reported a superior raped her
A CSIS officer's allegations that she was raped repeatedly by a superior in agency vehicles set off a harassment inquiry, but also triggered an investigation into her that concluded the alleged attacks were a “misuse” of agency vehicles by the woman.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.