Looking for answers to life's questions

MEAN PEOPLE

04 02 18

Just a very quick note here. Someone or many someones have apparently tried hacking my account and e-mail where I get notifications. This has happened to other bloggers so if you see a like on your site that doesn’t feel quite right, ignore it. I’m making some changes and have informed WP. They are already working on this due to others having the same issues. I can’t figure out the point of this hacking. Most of us here have little to nothing so what’s the point of this other than just to prove they can and be mean. They sure wouldn’t like us doing it to them.

Just another word of caution. I had a warning blaring on my computer that I had been infected and to call the Windows number written below. Do not call that number. I called my personal tech support that had to deal with the same thing earlier. Many of you know these things. I’m no spring chicken here nor very techy but at least I didn’t panic. Took a photo of my screen and messaged it on my phone to my son. (tech support) I had hoped all was well but will be changing e-mail accounts as well as passwords.

Darn those mean people. Lets hope you don’t run into them.

From my heart to yours,

Marlene Herself

Category:

My thoughts about things

95 Comments

Comments on: "MEAN PEOPLE" (95)

  1. Jill Weatherholt said:
    04/02/2018 at 10:49 am

    Mean people stink! Sorry to hear this, Marlene.😡

    Liked by 2 people

  2. Deb said:
    04/02/2018 at 10:54 am

    Thanks for the warning Marlene. This sort of thing happens all too often. I hope you get everything straightened out and no problems arise from all this. Best to you!

    Liked by 2 people

  3. Miss Gentileschi said:
    04/02/2018 at 10:57 am

    Thanks for the warning! I’ve noticed some very unusual likes on my site today and before that someone trying to leave weird comments all over not only to me but trying to get to those commenting on my posts. Luckily I didn’t grant her or him access so the comments now land straight in my spam but it’s annoying anyway. Hope Wp handles it well soon!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Luanne said:
    04/02/2018 at 11:18 am

    I’ve been chatting with two other bloggers on Facebook this morning. We’ve all had a lot of likes by “sexy” people, meaning the word sexy is in the names–and there are a variety of names. Some kind of bots. Not sure what to do since they are likes and not comments. But what do you mean to ignore a strange ‘like”? What did you do to the likes that caused the hacking/infection?

    Liked by 2 people

  5. JackieP said:
    04/02/2018 at 11:19 am

    Ugh. So frustrating. Sorry you have to go through this. ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    • insearchofitall said:
      04/02/2018 at 5:12 pm

      I’m obviously not the only one considering the traffic to this post. Lots are complaining about it and they post more often than I do. Guess it’s good you are laying low for a bit. 🙂

      Like

  6. Susanne said:
    04/02/2018 at 11:21 am

    Hey Marlene, Thanks for the warning. I have all kinds of likes with a .ru extension from yesterday, all on one post. Who did you notify at WordPress? I’d like to send them a screenshot of my notifications, too. I know the .ru is a Russian internet extension which is kind of worrying. Anyway, if you could let me know who to contact that would be great. Thanks! Susanne

    Liked by 1 person

    • dayphoto said:
      04/02/2018 at 12:40 pm

      I need to know also…please let us know. I think I’ve been hacked just like you.

      Like

    • insearchofitall said:
      04/02/2018 at 5:10 pm

      Susanne, I had to try and find the help place on WP again. It took me forever the first time and I just found it again. When you open your profile on your WP site, there is a question mark at the bottom and two little conversation boxes in it. I clicked on the conversation arrows and started an online dialog. My concern was more that every time I tried to change my password, they said that each one had already been tried. Finally got one to stick but not sure how long I’ll keep it. I have never changed it in the 6 years of blogging, Never needed to do that. Most of the likes have an .ru extension but that doesn’t mean a lot these days. It’s like they are looking for an opening. Crud. Good luck.

      Like

  7. K. D. Dowdall said:
    04/02/2018 at 11:27 am

    The very same thing happened to my sister. There was a blaring noise and a number to call immediately. Of course, she too called the Windows support, thank goodness. Thank you for posting, it is critical that people know this scam.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. The Story Reading Ape said:
    04/02/2018 at 12:29 pm

    Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog and commented:
    IMPORTANT MESSAGE from Marlene…

    Liked by 1 person

  9. thecontentedcrafter said:
    04/02/2018 at 12:34 pm

    I think the .ru bot has gone through our entire community Marlene. I first noticed one ‘like’ on a comment I had made on one persons post and that was fairly quickly followed by every comment on my latest post being liked – so the bot/bots just follow the links. It is vaguely annoying, but not harmful as such as it is not stupid comments about viagra and such like 🙂

    Some poor folks just don’t have a happy life – or a life at all – and so fill their time doing dum-ass things like this. I haven’t yet had the blaring warning………. thanks for the heads up on that one. xoxo

    Liked by 2 people

  10. Chuck said:
    04/02/2018 at 1:01 pm

    Thank you for the heads up. There are also mean people that leave negative comments on our sites. Make sure you have comments set to be approved before they are posted.

    Liked by 1 person

    • insearchofitall said:
      04/02/2018 at 4:25 pm

      I haven’t done that because I’ve never had a mean comment. That doesn’t mean they won’t show up. I’ve trashed a lot of spam followers I may have to do that yet in the tightening of my security. Thank you for the information and stopping by.

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Aquila said:
    04/02/2018 at 3:29 pm

    Thanks for the warning. I know I’ve sure got better things to do than go and deposit garbage on other peoples’ sites, blogs, etc. There are always some who just can’t refrain from geing jerks.

    Liked by 1 person

    • insearchofitall said:
      04/02/2018 at 4:16 pm

      Just wanted everyone to have a heads up and not get scared silly like I did when that Windows sham was screaming at me. They want you to dial the number. Don’t. If people pop by and like my posts, on occasion I’ll go look at theirs to see who they are. These were not some I will go look at.

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Val Boyko said:
    04/02/2018 at 4:30 pm

    Its always worthwhile to step back and consider before reacting to emails and digital notifications. Thanks for the heads up Marlene. Glad you are still real to me 😉

    Liked by 1 person

    • insearchofitall said:
      04/02/2018 at 5:14 pm

      I’m so far behind, Val and stuff like this takes valuable reading time away. Annoying more than anything else and I don’t want to cause harm to anyone by visiting my blog. I was just making progress. 😦 You are real to me as well. I’ll be by soon. Hugs.

      Liked by 1 person

  13. Chuck said:
    04/02/2018 at 5:59 pm

    Thank you for coming to my blog site. I’ve got you on my follow list now.

    Like

  14. misifusa said:
    04/02/2018 at 6:30 pm

    Thanks for the tip Marlene. I’m sorry this happened to you. I dislike mean people a lot! I’m glad for the most part we are surrounded with people who bring love and light like you to our lives! xo

    Liked by 1 person

  15. cindy knoke said:
    04/02/2018 at 6:31 pm

    So sorry! They are leaving me emails which I spam. Such annoying people….

    Liked by 1 person

  16. agshap said:
    04/02/2018 at 7:12 pm

    Unfortunately it is the type of world we live in today. We just have to think first and be very careful with our information…..like those phone calls that keep telling me that I will be arrested for tax evasion by the IRS…

    Liked by 1 person

    • insearchofitall said:
      04/03/2018 at 8:23 am

      They are just awful, aren’t they. The one that was screaming at me on my laptop shook me for a moment. Just plain mean. Maybe they will get bored and move on. Have a wonderfilled day and thanks for stopping by.

      Like

  17. katechiconi said:
    04/02/2018 at 8:13 pm

    Same here, Marlene, I’ve had it, and so has a fellow quilting blogger. The bots were liking my comments on other people’s blogs so I couldn’t do anything about it. Then they started commenting on my posts with just a plus sign. I marked them all as spam (all 16 of them) and there haven’t been any new ones since then. The Husband’s had the Windows warning and I was able to tell him that was a scam and to run our security software. It doesn’t affect me because I’m not running Windows so I laugh if I see it! *One other thing to be aware of*: if you get email followers with a weird name followed by .outlook.com, remove them, as they’re spammers too.
    I can’t see what benefit these people get except feeling clever because they’ve annoyed a load of people. Thank you for making a wider audience aware of it.

    Liked by 1 person

    • insearchofitall said:
      04/02/2018 at 8:26 pm

      Thanks so much, Kate. I wasn’t aware of some of your information. This caught me completely by surprise. I had to say something to my followers to protect them. I’m an old woman just trying to write simple stories. Why torment people like me and the many who have no tech skills. Keeping good thoughts for you.

      Like

  18. Missy said:
    04/02/2018 at 9:09 pm

    Not sure I should click the “like” button ☹️. Sorry this happened to you and thanks for the warning! Take care my friend.

    Liked by 1 person

  19. The Snail of Happiness said:
    04/03/2018 at 12:25 am

    Good grief, don’t people have better things to do with their time?

    Liked by 1 person

    • insearchofitall said:
      04/03/2018 at 8:31 am

      These all have a Russian address though that doesn’t mean a lot. They must not have better things to do. I don’t respond to posts that only click “like”. Most have never bothered to read the post and just want you to read theirs. I don’t click like unless I’ve read and have left a comment at some point. It’s never been about stats. Always about community.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Bestemor said:
        04/06/2018 at 11:02 am

        Just want to say that when I don’t have time to comment, I do click ‘like’ just to let the author know I’ve been by and have read the post. Then I don’t feel like I’m trolling.

        Liked by 1 person

      • insearchofitall said:
        04/06/2018 at 3:46 pm

        I do that too if I’ve already been to their blog and introduced myself. I never leave a like without letting someone know why I’m there. It seems rude, like going into someone’s living room without saying hello. 🙂 Just me.

        Like

      • insearchofitall said:
        04/07/2018 at 2:40 pm

        I’ve been so busy that I didn’t realize who you were, Linne! New name at the top. Not paying very close attention here. You can send a note to the same address that I have at yahoo only put Gmail behind it. I have several addresses but changing anything on WP is a major undertaking.

        Like

  20. Gallivanta said:
    04/03/2018 at 1:22 am

    I have had a strange like, too. Hope nothing more comes from it. These things are so vexing.

    Liked by 1 person

  23. Writing your first novel-Some things you should know said:
    04/03/2018 at 5:15 am

    Thanks for sharing! I never thought about my blog being hacked.

    Liked by 1 person

    • insearchofitall said:
      04/03/2018 at 8:48 am

      My son was encouraging me to get a WP firewall in addition to my regular one on the computer. He will be helping me install it in the next few weeks. This has always been my happy place and I have never had a problem here. Hope WP gets this figured out soon.

      Liked by 1 person

  24. karenlee said:
    04/03/2018 at 11:59 am

    Oh, dear. I’ve had the .outlook.com LIKES but not followers (that I’m aware of). I don’t know how to get rid of them, either. They show up as an image of a blackened face. When you click on them, there is nothing there, and appears to be a fake person. I’ve had two recently. I’ve also had many messages go to my trash file (without my permission). Odd. Thanks for the very timely heads up, Marlene, and I hope the mean people disappear. ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    • insearchofitall said:
      04/03/2018 at 12:07 pm

      I’ve learned so much just by posting this, Karenlee. I have a lot of likes that I don’t want to click on to make them go away. Any where you look these days, there are people with nothing better in mind than to be mean and destructive., Not a kind thought in their heads. Hope they get bored with this game soon. Have a wonderfilled week.

      Like

  25. LB said:
    04/03/2018 at 4:05 pm

    DARN Those Mean People!
    Thanks for the warning and stay careful, my friend.

    Liked by 1 person

  26. incahootswithmuddyboots said:
    04/03/2018 at 9:31 pm

    I don’t “like”it, but clicked to let you know that I appreciate the heads up! One really has to wonder why some people have nothing better to do! I will have to take a look at my account and stats. Frustrating!

    Liked by 1 person

  27. Sandra said:
    04/04/2018 at 2:17 am

    What a timely choice for my first visit to your blog, Marlene. I have also had these nasty ‘likes’ and have been struggling with what to do about it. It does help to know that I’m not the only one, and the advice on this thread is reassuring. But like you, my blog is my ‘happy place’. It saddens me to have it sullied by these fools.

    Liked by 1 person

  28. KerryCan said:
    04/04/2018 at 2:29 am

    Some days, I just want to ditch all this computer stuff–it gets so overwhelming to read about data theft on Facebook, spam here, etc. We are so dependent on our computers and phones . . .

    Liked by 1 person

    • insearchofitall said:
      04/04/2018 at 7:56 am

      I so agree with you, Kerry. But I’m pretty isolated by health so this helps me reach out to the rest of the world. Everything in the Universe has it’s good and not so good. Just how it is so I try to be very careful and help others do the same. Don’t let it get you down. Just watch carefully.

      Like

  29. Jennie said:
    04/04/2018 at 5:28 am

    I had a string of the “sexy” likes on Monday, nineteen in all. I immediately went to live chat with the WP Happiness Engineers who told me I was not alone, my site was not hacked, and they were fixing the problem. I learned if that person has a Gravatar profile, you can go there and report abuse. Unfortunately most all of these “likes” did not have a profile. So far, I haven’t received any more.

    Liked by 1 person

    • insearchofitall said:
      04/04/2018 at 8:09 am

      THANK YOU so much for that information! That’s part of what I had but when I went to change my password they said I had used that one before. I had not changed it since I started blogging so “assumed” someone had been trying to hack it. So this is why I post these things. To learn. You are such a good teacher. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  30. Cynthia Reyes said:
    04/05/2018 at 9:04 pm

    Darn them indeed! I’m sorry this has happened to you, Marlene, and thanks for the tip-off.

    Like

  31. Bestemor said:
    04/06/2018 at 10:59 am

    Dear Marlene, I’ve been reading but not commenting. Let me know when you have a new email, will you? Thanks. I’ve been busy here, but you are not forgotten. ❤ ❤ ❤

    Liked by 1 person

  32. mommermom said:
    04/07/2018 at 8:09 pm

    I am so sorry to hear that, Marlene! why would people just want to cause such trouble for us I cannot understand. Don’t forget to send me your new email address.💕

    Liked by 1 person

    • insearchofitall said:
      04/09/2018 at 6:59 am

      I’ll get a card out this week. How can an old retired person be so busy? Tackling a rayon shirt with an Islander pattern that has made me crazy. Don’t ever try one. The directions are just awful. It needs to be done by next week. 😦 So far, I haven’t closed down my e-mail. Can’t get the switch set up through WP.

      Liked by 1 person

  33. frenchc1955 said:
    04/09/2018 at 6:48 pm

    This is terrible that this happened, and I hope you do not run into any more mean people. I will also keep alert to this.

    Liked by 1 person

    • insearchofitall said:
      04/09/2018 at 8:35 pm

      So far, so good, Dr. French. Kind of stunned me after 6 years of blogging. The world is changing as it always will. Not all changes are good. Working together, we can find ways to slow the mean ones down a bit. 🙂 Thanks for visiting.

      Like

  34. Forestwood said:
    04/10/2018 at 4:43 am

    If you are unsure of things to do with possible hacking and the computer, try checking with a simple google search or on a forum like reddit. They are surprisingly up to date with what is happening around in the IT world and can help you identify hackers and possible solutions if WP can’t help. I hope it is all sorted now Marlene. I also had some sexy….ru…. type “likes” with no profile.

    Liked by 1 person

    • insearchofitall said:
      04/10/2018 at 5:46 am

      Thanks for the information, Amanda. I’ll check that our. I have 2 virus detection programs and had thought a pretty good firewall but those sexy type likes were something new. I didn’t want to keep it to myself, just in case. So far so good. My son is coming for a visit next week and will check things out further. It’s just thrown me behind again. I’ll look into that forum.

      Like

  35. Sue Dreamwalker said:
    04/13/2018 at 7:19 am

    Thank you for the heads up, and like you I had something similar to my WordPress account along with sleazy spam. I informed WP but didn’t yet a great response from them only to say was my problem now solved when they had not even acknowledged what my problem was!.. But it seems to have died down now and people are not getting harassed by the constant like of my followers comments to try to direct them to their site.. And my motto is if in doubt about anything suspicious Don’t click anything.. Just delete..
    Thankfully my computer has a good security guard in place.. But even the best I know get hacked.. ❤ Which is why I also have backed up my blog to an external hard drive.. Just in case.. ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    • insearchofitall said:
      04/13/2018 at 9:22 am

      Got my external hard drive this week as my cloud provider of backup is closing up shop. I have 2 virus protectors on my computer but they can’t stop the riff raff. ;(Good to know you have firewalls in place and are careful too. Just hate to sift through the crud. Minor inconvenience for the joys of blogging.

      Liked by 1 person

  36. Lois said:
    04/14/2018 at 3:21 pm

    Marlene, I too have had my share of problems with mean people online. I can’t help but wonder what they are like in real life, are they just as self-centered as they are when they can be anonymous?

    Liked by 1 person

    • insearchofitall said:
      04/14/2018 at 4:47 pm

      I’m not sure it is more than one person creating havoc for a good time. They don’t think of us as people. Just toys. I’m sorry you had trouble with them too. It’s stopped for now.

      Liked by 1 person

  37. lorriebowden said:
    04/26/2018 at 9:00 am

    oh…mean people 😦
    I get a pop up on my phone periodically…and it’s almost impossible to make it go away. I am not techy either, Marlene…best to use your intuition…and probably best to never follow links that you don’t know!
    Sweet Blessings my friend ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    • insearchofitall said:
      04/26/2018 at 9:44 am

      I do none of the important stuff on my phone as there is no firewall. My sister does everything on her phone because she has no computer and is not techy either. Glad you are careful and trust your intuition. Hugs to you. Thanks for the visit.

      Liked by 1 person

  38. Boomdeeadda said:
    05/11/2018 at 8:48 am

    Oh for crying out loud! Haters gonna hate, right? I’m glad you are savvy and didn’t take the bate honey! I get so tired of these PW things. One Week, I was damn near locked out of WP because I couldn’t remember the PW to an email it’s tied to. I wish a million wasp bites on the perpertrators. (That’s old school punishment), ha! x K

    Liked by 1 person

    • insearchofitall said:
      05/11/2018 at 6:31 pm

      You make me laugh, K. 😉 My son installed last pass on my phone and computer so I only have to remember that one password. It helps when you get old and addled. My sister has no computer savvy and is always locking herself out of something. She’s too stubborn to let anyone help either. Oh well. sigh. ;( Hugs, m

      Liked by 1 person

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