On the edge

[Lazy_dog_lover]

I was recently cyberhacked. We think they got into Amazon, then into PayPal from Amazon. I caught it pretty quickly, but the anxiety it has caused over the last two weeks had been a nightmare. I was on the edge last night. Left a message for my therapist around 3 am. I don't know if it is related or a separate attack, but my email was used and sent to hundreds of others signing me up for everything from magazines to planning my own funeral. Some were in foreign languages. I spent a day unsubscribing. I was exhausted. Finally put on a vacation message that does auto-reply saying it was a hack and fraud and to remove me. That caught a lot, today, for the ones who send confirmations.

A lovely lady from Discover Card Credit Monitoring called me, today. They were one of my first calls after Amazon and Pay Pal, post office, police and bank. She gave me templates for letters to the credit agencies. She sent links for federal reporting. She told me about credit freezing. I am in the middle of a job search and she told me what potential employers would see. I reactivated an old email address and will need to change my resumes and profiles to match... tomorrow.

I was able to calm down enough after talking with my therapist and the credit service to actually work on completing the mile long list of things to do. Until that, I was shut down to the point of just going to sleep. I was so overwhelmed. My house looks like it exploded with piles of paper everywhere as I was preparing for taxes, cleaning out old photo albums, etc.

My printer is not behaving and I was about to throw it out the front door into the snow, but calmer heads prevailed and I shut down for the night. I start pet sitting at a different house tomorrow and have not even packed, but the different setting should help me focus.

Help can come from many places. Reassurance from my therapist. Knowledge and direction from Lydia at Discover. I will get my fur fix tomorrow with a new pup. I will get through the weekend.

[Hidden]

I’m a forever victim of identity theft, since 2012, my credit is permanently frozen. I was also one who’s name was stolen in the Experian Credit Reporting hack a few years back as well.

Honestly, I think you handled this quite well, your job sounds wonderful btw, Glad you saved the printer too. Hope your weekend is full of fur snuggle, calm and relaxation.

[Lazy_dog_lover in reply to Hidden]

I did have a good weekend. I got my fur-fix.

I also froze my credit, but I can unfreeze it. I was in the Experian breach, too.

I am starting to get letters from each of the companies involved saying that they are sure it was a hack somewhere and I am not laible and my record is cleared.

It was exhausting and all-time consuming. My head is still spinning from it all. No one has been able to say, or won't say, where the hack started. This makes it hard to know which place I need to protect.

[Jeff1943]

I think you have coped with this brilliantly. I can well imagine the extra stress and anxiety this has caused you, you wouldn't be human if you didn't feel lots of that during this distressing episode.

This is a good example of how we underestimate ourselves when it comes to sorting stressful jobs - but then cope amazingly.

You really are to be congratulated!

[Lazy_dog_lover in reply to Jeff1943]

Thank you, Jeff.

I totally agree with either being underestimated, either by myself or others.

I sometimes feel like a yo-yo, being thrown to the edge of chaos and then somehow pull through. There were darker times that I came through, so I think that puts a little perspective into events like this. Controllling what I can control. Knowing where my boundary is to stop controlling is actually the hard part, because I over-extend myself trying to fix others' problems.

My head is still spinning from it all and my plate is still very full, but things seems to be moving forward.

[Sprinkle1]

Oh! How awful for you, I think you coped really well, not sure how I would do? I hope you can get this all sorted out, Discover is very good, they stay on top of things, and have good help. I hope your new job gives you a break and your mind will stop whirling. Lean on us if you need support. I send you Strength, Peace,, Love and Big Hugs.....Sprinkle 1......

[Lazy_dog_lover in reply to Sprinkle1]

Thank you.

I am still spinning, but I am getting letters from the companies accepting it was fraud and clearing my record. Overwhelming is the only way to describe it all. There should be a more standardized method to know who and how to contact everyone involved. Without Discover's Lydia, I would have been lost.

It surely did exasperate my anxiety. I am too damn stubborn to not keep fighting.

[Lazy_dog_lover]

Oh my goodness! It happened again. Cybehcked last night! stole over $1900 right from my account.