{"id":1247,"date":"2025-03-25T17:29:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T17:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jo-rawald.client-demo-websites.com\/?p=1247"},"modified":"2025-03-25T17:29:00","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T17:29:00","slug":"i-got-hacked-heres-how-it-happened-how-to-protect-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jo-rawald.client-demo-websites.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/25\/i-got-hacked-heres-how-it-happened-how-to-protect-yourself\/","title":{"rendered":"I Got Hacked – Here’s How It Happened & How to Protect Yourself"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hackers Got Into My Email, Bank, and Credit Card\u2014Here\u2019s What I Missed<\/strong>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I Thought I Was Just Checking My Email\u2026 Turns Out, I Opened the Door for Hackers.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One click. That\u2019s all it took.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One distracted moment\u2014between answering emails and running my business\u2014was all a hacker needed to steal my email, compromise my domain, and rack up a $3,000 charge on my credit card.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how it happened, and more importantly\u2014how you can avoid it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How I Got Hacked (And How You Can Avoid It)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yesterday, I was fully locked into Day 1 of a mind-blowing, game-changing Growth Seminar<\/strong> with Alan Samuel Cohen<\/a> <\/strong>and Joyful Business Revolution<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And when I say locked in, I mean notifications off, phone on silent, fully present, and soaking up every single gem they dropped.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alan, Shannon, and Amy are masters<\/em><\/strong> at what they do. They\u2019re teaching us how to elevate our brands through the power of storytelling – <\/strong>not just the \u201ctell your story\u201d kind, but the magnetic, audience-connecting, business-elevating kind<\/strong> that turns casual listeners into lifelong clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And let me tell you – Day 1 was absolutely fantastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

\u2705 We dug deep into how our personal journeys shape our brand identity<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

\u2705 We learned how to tell stories in a way that creates trust and connection<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

\u2705 We uncovered the missing pieces in our messaging that are keeping our audience from fully engaging<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s one of those experiences where you realize\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\ud83d\udca1 You\u2019ve been doing some things right<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n

\ud83d\udca1 You\u2019ve been missing some HUGE opportunities<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n

\ud83d\udca1 And you\u2019ve got so much untapped potential sitting right in front of you<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I was so in it that I had zero clue my email had been hacked, my business domain was compromised, and someone was out there enjoying a $3,000 shopping spree on my dime.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More on that in a minute.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But first\u2014if you ever get the chance to attend one of Alan, Shannon, and Amy\u2019s workshops, RUN, don\u2019t walk.<\/strong>  This isn\u2019t surface-level branding fluff. This is deep, transformative work that makes you see your business in a whole new way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, back to how I got hacked\u2026 \ud83d\udea8 (Stay tuned!)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fast forward to driving home\u2026 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My phone starts blowing up with calls, texts, and emails from friends. Messages like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Hey, did you get hacked?”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Jo, this doesn\u2019t look right. Did you send this?”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of them knew right away that something was off. I don\u2019t send out “Bid Proposals” – ever.<\/strong> So instead of clicking the link in the email, they did the smart thing and reached out to me first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, I get a notification of a $3,000 charge on my Mastercard<\/strong>\u2014to a company I\u2019ve never even heard of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s when I knew something was seriously wrong.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Now, normally I have my credit card locked down<\/strong>, but I had just enabled it to pay the valet<\/strong> at the workshop. Bad timing? Definitely.  The Perfect Storm? For Sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I get home, check my accounts<\/strong>, and boom –
\u2714\ufe0f My email is hacked<\/strong>
\u2714\ufe0f My business domain is compromised<\/strong>
\u2714\ufe0f My credit card was hijacked<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this point, I can\u2019t get a hold of anyone for my domain\/email\u2014everyone is closed<\/strong>. So, I dispute the charge with my bank (shoutout to them for immediately crediting me back) and move on to damage control mode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morning Comes\u2026 And Then It Gets Worse<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I wake up with pink eye<\/strong>.
Because, you know\u2026 Why not?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As if getting hacked, losing access to my email and business accounts, and dealing with a fraudulent $3,000 charge weren\u2019t enough. Now, my eye is swollen, irritated, and looking like I just went ten rounds in a boxing match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this point, I have two choices. Push through and pretend everything is fine, or take it as a very clear sign from the universe that today is not the day to force things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I call Alan, let him know I won\u2019t be making it to Day 2<\/strong> of the workshop, and resign myself to spending the day un-fucking my accounts.   <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

THIS is Where It All Started<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

By pure coincidence, I get a phone call from Stripe<\/strong> (a merchant service I use). I had submitted a support ticket days ago<\/strong>, and they were just now getting back to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rep, Robert, says he\u2019s following up on my login issues<\/strong>. I explain what\u2019s happening, and as we start digging, we trace everything back to February 10th<\/strong>\u201410 days ago<\/strong>\u2014when I received what looked like a legit email from Stripe.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Spoiler Alert: It wasn\u2019t Stripe.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • The email came from\u00a0support@adm-strip.com<\/strong>\u00a0(not stripe.com)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The logo clicked through to the\u00a0real Stripe website<\/strong>\u00a0(so it seemed legit)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The \u201cReview Account Details\u201d button took me to a login page that\u00a0looked exactly like Stripe<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Without thinking much of it, I entered my login info<\/strong>, the page gave me a notification that a representative will be calling me and I moved on with my day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \ud83d\udea8 Big Mistake.<\/strong> \ud83d\udea8<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I later got a second email (on Feb 17th) asking for more personal info<\/strong>, and that\u2019s when I realized\u2014I\u2019d been scammed.<\/strong> The real Stripe would have only asked me for the last 4-digits of my bank account number; not the entire number.  Albeit, this was a very convincing scam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    By logging into the first fake Stripe page<\/strong>, they got access to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u26a0\ufe0f My email login<\/strong>
    \u26a0\ufe0f My business banking details<\/strong>
    \u26a0\ufe0f My credit card info<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Lesson learned:<\/strong> Hackers don\u2019t need your permission. They just need one distracted moment.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If This Can Happen to Me, It Can Happen to Anyone<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    So, here\u2019s how to avoid this mess<\/strong>:
    \u2705 Always check the sender\u2019s email<\/strong>\u2014if it\u2019s slightly off, it\u2019s fake.
    \u2705 Never log in from email links<\/strong>\u2014go directly to the website instead.
    \u2705 Use 2-factor authentication<\/strong>\u2014make hackers\u2019 lives harder.
    \u2705 Trust your gut<\/strong>\u2014if something feels off, pause and investigate.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My email and domain are still being sorted out, but the good news? I\u2019m taking back control.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ever been hacked? Drop your horror story in the comments below.<\/strong> Let\u2019s help each other stay one step ahead.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    #LessonsLearned #CyberSecurityMatters #StayVigilant<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Hackers Got Into My Email, Bank, and Credit Card\u2014Here\u2019s What I Missed “I Thought I Was Just Checking My Email\u2026 Turns Out, I Opened the Door for Hackers.” One click. That\u2019s all it took. One distracted moment\u2014between answering emails and running my business\u2014was all a hacker needed to steal my email, compromise my domain, and rack […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":709,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jo-rawald.client-demo-websites.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jo-rawald.client-demo-websites.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jo-rawald.client-demo-websites.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jo-rawald.client-demo-websites.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jo-rawald.client-demo-websites.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1247"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jo-rawald.client-demo-websites.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1247\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1248,"href":"https:\/\/jo-rawald.client-demo-websites.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1247\/revisions\/1248"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jo-rawald.client-demo-websites.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/709"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jo-rawald.client-demo-websites.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jo-rawald.client-demo-websites.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jo-rawald.client-demo-websites.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}