'Everything was lost': Manitoba business owner victim of Instagram hack
A Winnipeg business owner is reminding others to be careful online after her social media accounts were hacked over the weekend.
Amie Hart runs two businesses; Set The Bar, a business that provides snack bars to events such as weddings, and a wedding planning business that she recently started. Both of her companies use Instagram heavily.
On Saturday, both of her accounts were accessed by a hacker, and she was locked out.
“I lost years worth of work and content and followers, it was devastating,” Hart said.
Hart said she received a text message from someone claiming to be from Instagram, saying there was a copyright infringement posted on one of her accounts.
“They told me they would text me an appeal form that I could appeal this accusation and I could get my accounts back,” she said. “In the meantime, I went to my accounts, and they were both locked. So, I had stated to this person that my accounts were locked, and he said, 'Well, that shouldn't have happened. I can gain you access back to your accounts.'”
Hart said the purported Instagram employee asked for security codes sent from the site, claiming he would enter them to restore access.
“Meanwhile, he wasn’t helping me; He was hacking into my accounts and taking over,” she said.
Hart said she went back and forth with the hacker, and asked if she was being scammed, which he confirmed, asking her for $100 and Apple gift cards.
When she heard that, her heart sank, she said.
“I have eight years of work poured into that account,” Hart said. “All of my posts, all of my reels, all of my followers, everything was lost. And not only that, but this person has used my identity to reach out to all of my followers to try to scam them, as well and try to take money from them.”
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, told CTV News Winnipeg that they are in the process of restoring Hart’s access back to her account.
As of Tuesday evening, Hart said she has regained control of her accounts.
Hart says she wants others, especially business owners, to be aware so they don’t fall victim to the same thing.
“If you're following a small business account and you get a message that's out of the norm for that business, that's not their regular content, or about investing or Bitcoin or things, it just looks suspicious. But chances are that the account has been hacked. And the best thing that you can do to protect yourself and to help this business is to report and block the account.”
In an email to CTV News, Winnipeg police spokesperson Ally Siatecki said if you receive an unsolicited email or message claiming to be from a well-known company, you need to be cautious.
Siatecki said don't click on any links or download any attachments, verify the sender’s email address, check for spelling and grammar errors, not provide personal information and report the message.
-With files from CTV's Jon Hendricks
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada, G7 urge 'all parties' to de-escalate in growing Mideast conflict
Canada called for "all parties" to de-escalate rising tensions in the Mideast following an apparent Israeli drone attack against Iran overnight.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
'It was all my savings': Ontario woman loses $15K to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
Families to receive Canada Child Benefit payment on Friday
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
Taylor Swift drops 15 new songs on double album, 'The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology'
On Friday, the pop star released her 11th album and at 2 a.m. Eastern, she released "The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology," featuring 15 additional songs.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.