I just talked to a Pueblo woman who keeps in touch with her California relatives on facebook.com. She was so upset about what had happened she couldn't talk on camera, but wanted to warn others.
She got a message from her niece warning her that her profile and info were posted all over the internet. She was told to click on a link and check it out on another website.
But neither she nor her niece knew... that the message was from a crook who had hacked into her niece's account.
Katie Carrol with the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado says, "It's scary these days. We have to be really, really careful."
Carrol says crooks know regular users of social networking sites like MySpace, and Facebook... trust family and friends who converse with them on a regular basis.
They might not think twice about responding to a plea for help... asking for money to be wired overseas ... or to click on a link... not knowing a virus was being sent to their computer.
Carrol adds, "Don't react and just immediately behave in a certain way. Respond, check it out, confirm, don't let your emotions take over, especially for these panicked notices you get."
Also, be sure you don't have personal info like your address, email address, or phone number listed in your profile. You never know who's looking in, hoping to cash in on you.