When hackers took over her Facebook page, a Vernon, B.C. photographer found a way to adapt – Okanagan
Photographer Amie Roussel of Vernon, British Columbia, said she feels cheated considering her business’s Facebook page was taken over by hackers late last year.
“I’ve been building it for at least 12 years,” Roussel says of her Carousel Studio brand.
“It was really devastating for someone else to take it and start taking it in a completely different direction and using it for their own personal enjoyment.”
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Whoever controlled her business page used it to post random jokes and viral content.
“They never seemed interested in my business. I never believed they were local,” she said.
“They appeared to be trying to get accounts to promote their interesting posts, or to spread the larger network of people who are getting likes by posting through their Pages. rice field.”
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Vernon’s business owner says her attempts to get help from Facebook to restore her business page have gone nowhere.
By January, Roussel said he realized that rebranding was better than continuing to fight to access lost pages.
“Finally, I decided to close the Carousel Studios chapter because branding is no longer under my control. When people go to Facebook, they see this brand and this sign, and this is mine Or you can’t say this is a hacker, trade name Amie Roussel Photography.
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But the experience took its toll.
“I think the economic losses we’re seeing are in the thousands of dollars. The cost of losing customers and jobs, the cost of switching to a new website, new branding, new signage. It’s measurable. What you can’t measure is the stress put on it,” Roussel said.
The Better Business Bureau suggests that businesses prepare for potential cyberattacks by backing up data, setting up two-factor authentication, and changing passwords regularly.
In addition to technical tips, Roussel hopes other companies can learn from her experience restructuring her business and move forward.
“It’s never over if you’re ready to keep moving forward,” she said.
After Global News contacted Facebook’s public relations team on Tuesday, the social media company said it was now reviewing the accounts.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
