Gosport artist 'over the moon' as Facebook account recovered following malicious cyber attack
This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.
and live on Freeview channel 276
Dan Williams, of Gosport, was targeted by a cyber criminal on June 11 – losing control of his business page danwilliamsart. The majority of the 44-year-old’s commissions came through the page, leaving him scared that his business would fall into ruins.
After wrestling with Facebook owner Meta’s automated customer service platform, Mr Williams was finally able to recover his page and kick the hacker to the kerb – praising The News for spreading the word about his plight.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdHe said: ‘I’m so glad I managed to get it sorted. I’m absolutely over the moon to get my business back on track.
The portraiture specialist said he was finally able to contact customers that left messages and fulfil new orders. Mr Williams is also back in control of his personal profile, though it’s still named after Hollywood actress Elizabeth Olsen, who has starred in Avengers: End Game and other blockbuster films. There is no suggestion the person behind the hack is called Elizabeth Olsen.
‘I can’t change my name back for 60 days,’ Mr Williams added. ‘I’m not sure why. The hacker has attached a business page to my profile with a picture of an Asian girl. It’s all in Chinese so I’m not sure what’s going on.
‘I can’t seem to delete or cancel it. I’ve changed my emails and passwords, so I hope the hackers can’t get into it again.’
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdMr Williams said he is still wary of being targeted again, as the last assault came out of the blue. He was able to verify his identity through Meta’s customer service platform, eventually receiving a log-in code which was previously diverted to the hacker’s phone number.
The painter said was infuriated by Facebook’s ‘terrible’ lack of direct support, being forced to go through what he sees as a confusing maze of automated questions and answers. Mr Williams can still only access the account on his laptop, not his phone.
Despite the frustrations, he said he’s glad to be back in control. Mr Williams added: ‘Lots of orders have come through, lots of messages on the page as well. If I’d been gone longer, they could have gone elsewhere.’
Meta was approached for comment.