Cold Hands Cyber Security Article Part 2

Posted By: Monica Torres Funeral Profession Blog,

What is Page Admin?

Page Admin (is YOU!) and as complete control over a page, including editing the page, adding apps, creating and deleting posts, and sending messages. They can also manage page roles and role settings, assign different roles to teammates, and create ads. 

In a nutshell, the hackers stole the administrative rights to my business page and basically walked off with my cyber business. Once they saw that I had never paid Facebook for ads and they also found that Facebook was paying me for my organic content they went full force, stealing my assets and targeting my customers. Here is where it gets interesting…..stay with me.

When you pay for ads on Facebook you are automatically added to their “customer base.” After you pay for ads for a while, Facebook will generate a clickable “support” button in your Meta Business Suite. I had never paid for ads so Facebook did not consider me an active customer. Since I wasn’t a registered customer, I did not earn the privilege to have a “support” button. There was literally no way to contact Facebook to let them know I had been hacked! It took about a week to figure all this out. Meanwhile my account was being drained and my followers were being targeted with “clickbait” that would lead them to porn sites trying to collect money.

This violation has forever changed the way I do business and has forever changed me and the way I secure my personal assets and business assets online. More and more businesses are being attacked and held for ransom that is often in the millions. Funeral service-related businesses are not prepared and are at high risk for ransom attacks.

In my opinion most funeral homes have outdated embalming protocols and so are our systems of business. If your funeral home still uses a fax machine you are a target. If your funeral home does not have your Facebook page secured with 2 factor authentication YOU ARE A TARGET. If your funeral home website is a free gift from a funeral service vendor, YOU ARE A TARGET. If your gmail or outlook email system is not secured and you do not have cyber security insurance YOU ARE A TARGET. According to the recent 2024 NFDA Cremation and Burial Report, 40% of its members offer online cremation services.  If your firm is one of those 40% who offer online cremation services-YOU ARE A TARGET. Deleting your FB page and not offering arrangements online is not the answer.

Education, awareness and preparedness are the key.

Coming soon: Part 3: "How to Keep Cyber Attacks from Affecting You"...

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Monica Torres, affectionately known in our embalming community as “Cold Hands” is a LFD, LE, Reconstruction Specialist, Desairologist, Public Speaker and owner of trade embalming company NXT Generation Mortuary Support.  NXTgen offers a variety of progressive services and products to funeral homes and professionals including accredited technical training, nationwide talent acquisition, and consulting services. For more information visit www.nxtgenmortuarysupport.com or follow @ColdHandsHosts copyright 2024

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