As I was coming home from running errands this morning, my friend Phil called me and told me that my Yahoo account had been hacked. I smiled and said, “Let me guess that you received an email saying that I was in some exotic place and got robbed and needed you to wire money to me.”  I had received similar emails over the past few years from friends’ email addresses and each time, contacted them to inform them as well. Phil answered, “Yeah, it says you were in Spain and the hotel you were staying in, had been consumed by flames and you lost everything.” When I arrived, I turned on my computer and discovered emails from several friends, a few  checking out the veracity of the message, but mostly to inform me that it had occurred. Several said they knew I hadn’t sent it since it wasn’t my writing style and it was poorly versed. Within a few hours, I had received texts, phone calls, emails sent to my other address and via facebook. With each message came the assurance that all was well. I felt quite loved. I posted a few times that it was a hoax, that although in someone’s vivid imagination, I was in Spain, I really was at home in Pennsylvania and there was no need to send money.

I then contacted Yahoo and spoke with a lovely woman named Barbie who helped to rectify the problem and I set a new password. She also assisted with restoring my lengthy address book which was a huge blessing since it has taken me years to accumulate it.

A few things occurred to me as I experienced this short term inconvenience. One was how sad it was that people can be this dishonest as to attempt to scam people when their intelligence and computer aptitude could be better used for good rather than malice. Another was that they didn’t know how smart my friends are and that they wouldn’t fall for their deceit. I also knew that it would be resolved well and it is. Lastly, I am appreciative of my circles of friends worldwide who expressed concern. Some joked about having sent me funds.

What I know is that love trumps everything, including hackers.

http://youtu.be/148Rm-KcP2k Sesame Street- Cookies and Computers