My Facebook account was hacked last Fall. I lost complete control. The hacker then turned into a scammer and posted several items for sale while posing as me. One of our church planters lost $500 to the guy and there could have been others. It is a feeling of helplessness to hear from many of my friends who were contacted directly, all the while posing as me. He had taken my name in vain.
This social media hack came at the same time that I was wrestling with a respiratory infection and problems trying to update our association’s communications with our constituents. It all felt like I was being invaded at the hands of a sinner! Exodus 20:15 says, “Thou shalt not steal.” And it’s no surprise that the very next verse says it’s also a sin to “bear false witness” (Ex. 20:16), which can apply to posing as someone else who is living a lie that seeks to create havoc in someone else’s life.
I’ve learned that I’m not alone. Stationex.com reports that 68,000 Facebook users query Google every month on ways to overcome a hack. Facebook says it removes one billion fake Facebook sites every quarter.
So, how do we let evil into our lives? What do we do to prevent it? We may not be into witchcraft or pornography addicts, but there are distractions in this world that can divert us from what God wants best for us.
In the case of my computer’s hack, I learned two valuable lessons.
1. You must use two-step authentication. That’s the first thing the hacker set up and what Facebook recognized as having authority, which effectively locked me out. The two-step authentication has to be done prior to a hack.
2. Never use a Bible verse as a password. Apparently, there are apps that seek these out. When I was notified at first by Facebook that I had an attempt to log in, they recommended changing my password. I never again plan to use a Bible verse reference!
Facebook provided a way for me to contact them to report the hack. All they did was tell me the email address of the person who reportedly lived overseas. One of our Baptist association’s pastors let me know he actually talked to the man and traced the call to Virginia. Since then, Facebook made my account inactive for a time. I hope to get some help from a cyber crime company to restore the account.
Proverbs 19:5 gave me some hope of vindication. It says, “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape” (ESV). Sinners in the hands of an angry God, indeed.
It’s easy to blame people for what they do to us. As a follower of Jesus, I’ve prayed for spiritual insights from this. What can I learn? I must forgive him, for one, and I have prayed that he repents and turns to Jesus. This social media break is being used of the Lord. I’ve prayed forgiveness for a false pride in technology. It has made me rely more on the Lord. I have picked up the phone quicker than sending an email or text. Some personal handwritten cards are in the works. I’m looking at X and LinkedIn a bit more closely (@wmarksnowden). I’m sure there is more to learn by the Lord’s guidance—and mercy.
--Mark Snowden serves as director for the Cincinnati Area Baptist Association, which has several church consultants.
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