01.26.20 — The DW Sunday Column: I was hacked
After reading an article about a large credit reporting agency, I entered their link to see my eligibility for credit monitoring. The large credit reporting agency issues stemmed from a data breach a few years back. It felt ironic, and in some respects wrong, that I was entering my personal information to a company that was looking to compensate me for letting my personal information get breached. Sure enough, I was a “victim.”
This was not the first time. The Target breaches awhile back caused us to have to shut down our credit card and get a new one after about three or four fraudulent charges. This is never fun as you realize how many places have your card is stored for purchases, and understand what a pain it is to be at Walgreens giving new card information at the drive-thru since your “old” card does not work.
Another breach caused another credit card change, but I don’t remember the details. I think it was a hospital breach. I feel like I will have free credit monitoring for the rest of my life as I go from settlement to settlement for my data being hacked. It is so messed up that now I am hesitant to respond to the mail or email of an account breach, thinking it is some scam to get me to log in and hack me.
After a while, you become numb to it. It is nothing more than an eye roll moment, and you move on. After all, a data breach is a large effort where my account information is part of a large group of numbers that are used by a bunch of strange actors who sometimes buy the strangest of crap. It makes you wonder why my card wasn’t used to buy a night at a five star hotel at Maui…at least it would be worth it. But that is the thing, it is not this one person going around and enjoying life on my dime. It is big business, and I am one of many, many, many accounts in this big program.
That is why a recent hack was noteworthy. This one was too personal. Too weird.
It was a typical day. A weekend. I logged into the my TV app for live TV. It showed that I needed to log back in. Typically, I would be automatically logged in. This was strange but not the first time. Not anything to worry about.
I logged in — error message. I double-checked my password. Logged in. Error message. I went online to look for the company phone number. Have you noticed that trying to find a phone number to call to actually “talk” to someone at a company is pretty difficult these days? Well, for this company it was not easy.
When I did find the number, it was endless hold. For some reason, I decided to look at my email while holding. There were about three or four emails from my TV provider. The positive, “thank you” emails were sent at 1 a.m. then 1:30 a.m. They thanked me for adding HBO to my plan. Thanked me for adding Cinemax to my plan. A couple of other changes …a couple other thank you’s, and we are up to $99 per month from my current $45 ish. This bad actor might not be in Maui, but he or she is sure enjoying some prime TV stations.
I finally reached the TV provider. What was most interesting is their verification process was very basic. Almost enough to think that they were part of the problem that they were about to explain to me. It was explained that someone in Concord, CA took over my account and added these stations. Don’t worry, they said, we will fix this. Then the ever famous hold for about 5 minutes, and he asked me to log back in. I did.
Well, great, kind of. I got in, but it said, “Welcome Aaron.” Holy cow, was this hacker an idiot? I now know Aaron from Concord, CA enjoyed Showtime on me for a night. I was almost tempted to see if Aaron’s credit card and address information was in my profile. I then wondered if the police would respond to this? Is there a “Cinemax Code Blue” call that goes out…Concord, CA, be on the lookout for Aaron.
Anyway, after another hold, the TV provider guy got my name on the opening screen. He refreshed everything, so I would not have to see what Aaron watched last night. Whew, can’t imagine what this dude would be watching at 1 a.m. on Cinemax; nor, would I want to.
It was not done yet. The TV provider guy tells me that this person from Concord, CA is trying to log back in. Please hold.
Geez, it is like this guy really thinks this is his account. Weird.
The TV provider guy comes back on the line and says he has taken care of this. “I should be” good from here. And, for the trouble, the rest of the month was free of charge.
I shrugged. It was not free credit monitoring, but it’ll do.
