16-Year-Old's Facebook Account Hacked, Mother Calls For Added Security
WALTHAM (CBS) - A Waltham mother is hoping for major security changes by Facebook, after her 16-year-old daughter's account was hacked and disabled.
The family's nightmare began one week ago, when a friend noticed a Facebook account under "People You May Know." It featured photos of the 16-year-old girl that friend knew, but under a strange name.
"My daughter went to go back on her Facebook and it mysteriously disappeared. She lost all her photos, memories, everything she had on it," said Michelle.
The real account had been disabled, but this fake page remains. The mother is terrified what else the hacker may now know about her daughter.
"One, she's a minor and two, she's out in the world. She's going to school and work. She's hanging out with friends. We don't know who this person is. For all I know they could be walking down the street and kidnap her. We don't know. It's scary," she added.
Local police referred the woman to the Facebook support line, but the recording directs callers back to the online help center. Michelle has already reported the page dozens of times. While she desperately waits for the page to be taken down, she hopes Facebook will increase protections for minors online. Users only have to be 13 years old.
"Those pictures shouldn't be up there. They don't belong to that person," she said.
WBZ-TV contacted Facebook to see what else can be done to remove the stolen photos. Their response was:
"If you or someone else believes your account has been hacked or taken over by someone else, the best thing to do is visit facebook.com/hacked. Our guided help will walk you through the appropriate steps to recover your account."
Facebook said users can learn more about recovering a hacked account by visiting its Help Center.