In another social media incident that’ll have you checking your multi-factor authentication real quick, Adelaide-based digital creator and former Australia’s Next Top Model contestant Jamie Reilly was forced to send a desperate warning after hackers took over her Facebook account and tried to scam followers.
On Thursday, Reilly — who is married to former AFL Crows player Brent Reilly — took to Instagram with a series of stories, warning followers not to fall for the scam of a ‘clearance sale’ seemingly posted by her.
In the elaborate scheme, the hacker posted a bunch of photos of equipment and vehicles like cars and bikes for sale, telling followers to transfer a ‘deposit’ to put the items on hold.
The post even included a backstory of an uncle who was moving to an old aged facility and selling off his belongings.
“Hey everyone, we’re conducting a sale of my uncle’s personal items, which requires significant downsizing. To manage this transition smoothly, items are being sold on a first-come, first-serve basis,” the post on Facebook read.
“I’ll be out of town assisting him with his move to an old aged facility.
“To reserve an item, a deposit is necessary. This ensures the item is held for you until I return, at which point you can view and decide on the purchase. Deposits are fully refundable if you choose not to proceed after viewing.”
Prices ranged from anywhere from a few hundred to thousands of dollars. As reported by the Daily Mail, this included a Fj45 Land Cruiser worth $10,000, a golf cart priced at $2800, and a secondhand 2010 Ford F-150 for $28,000.
Taking to her Instagram Stories, Reilly shared a picture of the phoney ‘sale’ post, stating: “Facebook has been hacked!!! Madly trying to fix it.”
She explained the hackers had changed the email address attached to the account, meaning she wasn’t able to sign in.
In another screenshot of a sign-in security alert, she revealed the hackers appeared to be based in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Hours later, Reilly eventually posted she was “back in”, explaining she had to resort to sending through video for facial recognition to Facebook to re-gain access to her account.
“They were private messaging everyone asking for deposits and talking like me. Omg so stressful. I feel violated,” she wrote.
In an Instagram Story on Friday morning AEST, the content creator said she was “mortified” by the scam and described the ordeal as “an absolute shitshow”.
“Old mate sitting in Hanoi, messaging people, sounding like me… it was wild. I looked back at my messages. I think he did scam a couple of people,” she said.
According to Reilly, there might have been a few people who unfortunately fell for the scam, explaining some people might have transferred “a few hundred dollars”.
“I think one person lost $800,” she said as she urged followers to be “so careful” when it comes to these kind of online transactions.
Look, while a golf cart actually sounds like it’d be pretty fun to own, it’s always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to these things. Here’s hoping the people impacted can get some of their hard-earned dosh back.
PEDESTRIAN.TV has reached out to Reilly for comment.
Lead image: Instagram
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