Online realities can turn into real nightmares in an instant.
Kinga Heming is well known for his voice in the Okanagan and sing jazz tunes on places in the valley for years.
“I received an SMS from one of my friends saying that I think your Facebook has been hacked,” said Heming.
Heming found that his Facebook profile had actually been hacked.
“(My friend) says:” Well, apparently, you have an uncle who sells a whole bunch of items because he moves into a retirement establishment. “”
As a name for confidence in the Okanagan, the singer went from famous to Infamme.
“People actually believed that because with my profile it was me,” said Heming.
“So there were messages that were, you know, which were sent to my profile, simply asking for these articles and people sent deposits.”
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Then the crook published several false advertisements on Facebook Marketplace, posing for Heming. She says the crook took at least $ 10,000 in people, including friends.
Lorraine Bromley has known Heming for years and has set out when she saw who she thought she was her friend who sells a car.
“I said,” I’m interested, “said Bromley.
“Who I thought I was her (said):” Oh, send me a deposit “and that they do not show it to anyone else.”
Bromley is one of the victims of false advertisements. She says she had her suspicion, but because she knows Heming, she decided to trust her and send a deposit for $ 1,000 for a car.
“You are still beating with a stranger, right? But … You never think that someone will hack your friend’s account and act like him and ask you for money,” said Bromley.
Heming and several of the victims reported the incident to the RCMP. The RCMP says that it is aware of the similar scams circulating online and issued a warning last year. The RCMP recommends always carrying out market transactions in public places near security cameras.
Heming has since resumed access to her Facebook account, but she wonders how long she will keep him.
“It was honestly a full -time job trying to remove this guy from my account. And every time I finally succeed in entering, he managed to get around, “said Heming.
Heming and his partner, Brad Krauza, tried to pass the word they were hacked. However, the crook shared their personal address with many frustrated victims.
“We even think (when we are going) to sleep at night to make sure that all the doors are locked,” said Krauza.
“She was worried, you know, someone who came home.”
Heming has once again locked his account, but the messages have not stopped because the more frustrated victims continue to flood his reception box.
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