Fife businesses reveal anger and zero help after Instagram accounts hacked

It was sophisticated with an emotional twist. A message from a trusted friend asked me to verify their account. We are talking about the powerful blue tick here.

Minutes later, my log-in details had been changed and I couldn’t access my account.

I felt angry and frustrated. My Instagram account was a creative social media platform. However, it wasn’t essential to my income, and I asked myself the question; what if I had relied on it to keep a roof over my head?

Louise Humpington, owner, and founder of Grain and Sustain – Zero Waste Life in Fife based on Tolbooth Street, Kirkcaldy, Burntisland, and the East Neuk, was hacked after receiving an e-mail late one night alerting her to change her password on her Instagram page.

Locked out of her account she sent 15 video selfies to Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, as well as trying to verify her e-mail without success.

Alarmingly, hackers were monitoring her Facebook account and using the content to make the Instagram account look legitimate, including posting a friend’s photograph.

It was then Louise took direct action, “I messaged the hackers to ask them to take down my friend’s photograph. All they did was post it again.”

You can feel the frustration from Louise: “I could be angry about it and it was time consuming. I am angrier about the number of people who the hackers contacted.

“I know I am not responsible, but these people were trying to do something kind for me. Given the lack of protection measures Meta has in place, I am not convinced I would use Instagram again.”

Dom Panetta, owner of Migele Experience based on Whytehouse Avenue, got a late-night message from what he thought was a fellow salon asking for help entering a competition.

Clicking on the link he was locked out of his account.

Dom said, “it was infuriating and stressful and I didn’t sleep that night. If you have a leak, you call a plumber, who do you call when your social media goes down?”

Dom also tried video selfies and, like Louise, all were rejected.

This is not the first experience Dom has had with fraud. Previously a link claiming to be an energy bill was opened, resulting in £10,000 being stolen from his account. Luckily, the money was recovered by the bank that evening.

Sitting across from Dom in the Cupcake Coffee Box as we chat, his anxiety over the memory is clear, “I was worried, and we are about to pay staff wages. What a long day it was.”

Susan Simpson, owner of Mind and Body Studio on Kinghorn Road in the town got a call one busy Friday afternoon from someone claiming to be from her bank informing her of fraudulent activity.

Becoming suspicious she called the bank while on the line with the hacker and they told her to hang up immediately.

During this brief time, £2200 was stolen from Susan’s account.

She said: “I was so upset. The bank said I had a 50-50 chance of getting my money back. I felt like the crime was treated differently because it was fraud. If someone had come into the studio and stolen equipment it would have been different.”

Disturbingly, the hacker called again and left a message for Susan - “just tell that lady thanks for that money.”

Susan got her money back in full, but only after months of uncertainty.

I can hear the lasting emotional impact in her voice; “I was so upset and furious and spent weeks worrying if I would get the money back. “

Susan was also targeted earlier this year, when 10 American transactions varying from £50 to £150 to Paddy Power were unsuccessfully attempted.

“It really affected me at work and my ability to concentrate. I come from a place of distrust which is sad.”

Fife Police confirmed cases of fraud have risen nationally, with numbers in the Kingdom jumping from 747 to 903 cases, due to cybercrime offences.

Neale Hanvey MP for Kirkaldy and Cowdenbeath, said, “The Computer Misuse Act 1990, sets out serious penalties, including large fines and custodial sentences.

“However, it does little to assist hacked individuals or businesses identifying, or authorities apprehending, the malicious individuals responsible.

“Local independent businesses rely on social media to raise their profile. Meta must do more to protect accounts and put in place effective safeguards and a facility to communicate directly and effectively with their customers.”

I spoke to Jo King, owner of Bring to the Party based who devises social media courses including an upcoming one on protecting your social media accounts.

“It is a poor response from Meta on hacking, which has done next to nothing,”she said.

“No other company in the world would get away with this level of customer service.If Meta was National Rail it would be shut down.”

Jo offered five tips on protecting your social media account.

Instagram has a security check up which enables users to double check phone number, e-mail and add two factor authentication.

Ensure your password is different from anything else and change it regularly.Use two-factor authentication with an app such as Google Authenticator - it is safer than confirming with a phone number.

When logging into other devises de-select ‘remember me.’

The list of those affected by hacking and fraud on our own doorstep reads like a modern-day telephone directory.

And while, I’m annoyed my Instagram account got hacked, I’m more upset about what they’re trying to do to my hometown and the genuine, hardworking, and lovely folk in it.

So, while I can’t change Meta policy, I will do what Fifers do best. I’ll spread the word as it seems the only way to prevent hacking and fraud is through awareness and vigilance

I still miss my pretty pictures though.