An online dance class instructor from Melbourne had her online accounts on Instagram and Gmail hacked into, with e-criminals spamming her followers, asking for money and promoting cryptocurrencies.
The accounts belong to Brazilian Sophie Contreras who runs the Fisica Dance School or Melbourne. Contreras had built up a following of over 4,000 people within a span of seven years thanks to her hard work and dedication to the art.
When speaking to the Australian Financial Review, Contreras was quoted as saying: “It was really awful and distressing. You just feel quite violated. I can’t get any information from Instagram. I just wish you could call someone because I feel like this stuff happens all the time and there’s just no customer support.”
The dance teacher was able to regain access to her Gmail account, but did not have the same luck with Instagram, eventually giving up and creating a new one from scratch.
She pointed out that she was angry at herself for failing to set up a two-factor authentication which would provide greater protection to her account, adding that small businesses are in dire need of cheaper ways to protect their online information.
According to a report by Business Australia, over 21 percent of small businesses have reported falling victim to a cyber attack at some point throughout the year.
There are many out there who say they are afraid they could come under the threat of a cyber attack at any time, however they cannot afford to take the necessary precautions.
However, the general manager of Business Australia, Phil Parisis, has pointed out that the upcoming tax deductions towards small businesses should allow them to invest in greater cyber-security.
