I picked up my daughter-in-love’s phone call. “I think you need to check your blog. Your website has been hacked.”
I raced to my laptop and pulled up my blog, Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.
“No, NO, NO!!!!” I screamed. My daughter scrambled down the stairs. “What’s wrong, Mom?”
Plastered across my blog pages were unknown pictures accompanied by a foreign language. Remnants of my original site were still there, but my entire livelihood had been taken over by an identity thief. A decade’s worth of stories stolen. I attempted to log in, but my password had been changed and the liars renamed it as their own.
Right out from under me, a master manipulator bulldozed his way into my life and uprooted decades of memories and milestones. In full-on panic mode, my body responded in a visceral way.
Why would someone do this to me? Who can I call to help right this wrong? I felt violated, angry, helpless, and foolish. I didn’t know where to turn. It took months to unravel that violation and devastated the income my family relied on.
Identity thieves are crafty, cunning, and quick. They examine our weaknesses and know exactly how to exploit them. While I’ve installed safeguards that alert me to fraud, the attacks have continued through the years — but I’m prepared now to fight back.
Many of us can relate to that panicked moment when something precious has been stolen. It may not be a blog hack, but perhaps a wallet or social security number. Maybe your Facebook or email account was hijacked, and you found yourself held hostage by deception.
When that occurs, we spend hours, even weeks, alerting people to the fraud. We show multiple forms of proof of who we really are. We track down expenses, close accounts, and shout from the rooftop that’s not our true identity.
When our identity is finally restored, money returned, systems secured, and passwords reestablished, we regain access to the freedoms and security we had lost. Then our anxiety lifts and relief floods in.
I still remember when my first hack occurred, how I spent all my energy fighting back against this invisible enemy until my identity had been secured. Yet I can’t remember the last time I fought that hard against the most cunning of all identity thieves. Why don’t we put that same effort into exposing Satan’s strategies?
There are two realms. The seen and the unseen. The physical and the spiritual. Good vs. evil.
Jesus reminds us, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10 NIV).
Yet we allow Satan to boss us around. He bullies his way into our hearts and minds, planting seeds of doubt, deception, shame, and inadequacy because his whole desire is to steal our true identity and discount our esteemed value as beloved daughters, image bearers of the Most High God.
Last week, our young adult daughter fell victim to an elaborate identity scam.
“You have no idea how believable it was, Mom. They knew years of my personal information. They knew all of my history. I was exhausted and my guard was down.”
Torn between rage at the thief and frustration that we so easily fall prey to lies, I realized the difference between my blog hack years ago and our daughter’s identity theft: She pleaded for help to fight this battle.
In full momma bear mode, I knew how these counterfeiters worked. I understood the opponent’s ultimate goal and stepped into battle on her behalf. We laid down truth and put up guard rails together.
Friends, we must learn to fight back against the devil’s schemes with the same dogged determination. Satan knows our struggles and focuses on our past sin patterns. He wants us to live in our flesh and replay past hurt.
As we wrestle with doubt, the enemy will mimic our voice. He’ll say things to us in a way that sounds like us. A young mom shared an example of this with me: “My husband deserves someone more whole and healed. I can’t conquer [past struggles]. I’m never going to be the mom our son deserves.”
I stopped her, identified the first-person lies Satan taunted her with, and told her that this was not God’s truth for her life. I said out loud as a reminder to both of us that our new birth in Christ is what determines our identity. When we name Jesus as Lord, the gift of the gospel is that God restores our identity as His children. How dare we give the enemy an inch when we have the indwelling, life-giving, enemy-crushing, abundant freedom of new life.
Satan has no hold on us — but when it comes to dealing with all identity thieves, complacency is not an option.
Peter talks about having “minds ready for action ” (1 Peter 1:13 CSB). In the original Greek, the verb is continuous and active, meaning this isn’t a one-time effort. It’s a daily commitment to stay alert and to keep preparing our minds for the challenges and battles we’ll face along the way.
Are we rooted in the truth of Scripture? Do we have others to come alongside us? Are we stretching our minds by becoming critical thinkers? All those are necessary to be battle-ready.
Our daughter now pays $10 a month to a company that alerts her to fraud. A small price for freedom.
Don’t we all desire to live in the true freedom that Christ offers? Then together, let’s agree to fight back against Satan’s identity theft.
Jen,
So true! Thank you for shining a light on the HACKER, the devil himself.
Sending you spring joy, Lisa Wilt
Thank you, lisa. He sure is out to destroy.
Sending you spring joy right back. I feel like it’s so needed right now ❤️
Dear Jen………..Your story reminded me what happened to me 5 years ago when I had to evict my husband from our home due to his violent form of Dementia and he tried to kill me. As you can imagine, I was very vulnerable in that season. I was alone in this big house and he never would show me what to do with the computer as he thought if I knew, I could hide things from him. This dementia causes the caregiver to get punished every night so for 3+ years he abused me. He would not follow the doctors instructions and he was told that the first thing he had to do was stop drinking altogether. Instead of doing that he increased the drinking that just made it worse for me, but this was a background to how this relates to your story, Jen. I had to check his email on his computer and it wasn’t more than a week that I was targeted the first time. On his computer, this large email from “Microsoft” appeared one night saying that my account was in danger and I needed to call this phone number immediately. Stupid me, I did not know that this was something that should never happen so I called the number. Long story shorter, I ended up being scammed for $30,000 which only $6,000 was recovered. My friends said I should have known, but I had not had any training on the computer. My husband before he left just showed me how to read emails and send emails. I was crushed when I found out that money was not coming back to me. You can’t even imagine what they (the scammers) made me do. I told Satan don’t ever think you will get to me again. I tell him, I love The Lord and he leaves. I had to check all emails and phone calls I started to not answer any of them if I did not recognize the name or number. If someone wants to talk to me, they can leave a message. I still do that and any emails I get that are suspicious, I just delete them not even opening them or reporting them as Spam. Someone tried again by getting my SS number from the dark web and charging over $5,000 on one of my credit cards. When I got the bill, I was shocked and upset again, but this credit card investigate the charges and verified they were not mine so I didn’t lose any money there except more anxiety and fear, but they offered me an Identity Threat check every month for $15 a month which of course, I took. So far, no other scams have been tried. Jen, your devotional today is very important for everyone to read. A am 77 years old and they do tend to target older people. I do worry about this AI that they keep trying to make it even more dangerous. Younger people are more savvy about these things, but these scammers will try anything. Thank you so much for your devotional, Jen. Please, everyone, read Jen’s very important devotion. You may keep some of your money if they attack you. To you Jen, I send my prayers and love as I read every one that we get daily. I also wish you a Blessed Week……………………Betsy Basile
Thank you for a sharing your story, Betsy. You’ve had such a hard journey but grateful you understand who our hope is amidst hard times. The lord sustains.
Blessings
Thanks, Jen! I never thought of it that way, but that’s exactly what the devil did to me last week!! I found some old letters my late husband & I had written back & forth early in our relationship years ago, which dredged up memories of past hurts & guilt feelings on my part! I know God has forgiven me for those past sins, & He did eventually ” work everything together for good,” but the devil brought up these past memories to try to steel my identity today & make me doubt the sincerity of my faith!! Thank you for making this clear to me!!!
Beth – I’m grateful these words affirmed God’s truth at just the right time for you. You’ve encouraged me by sharing parts of your story .
You are loved by a Father who has wiped away those past sins years ago. He doesn’t remember them so we can’t allow Satan to dredge them up. Grateful you are here.
Perfect word for me in this season! Thank you SO MUCH for the reminder!
You are so welcome, renee. I need the reminder myself ….more often than I care to admit.
Thank you for all you shared. I have had my computer hacked and locked by a thief overseas. But much worse is the identity theft I have endured for many years through slander and verbal assaults by the one who is supposedly the closest to me, “one flesh, loving me as Christ loved the church.” Meanwhile, he presents himself as a Glorious Saint and regarded as such by those who only see the public image.
I am practicing what you have recommended but I need to endure and do so more diligently–though I am very weary.
Oh cynthia – I’m so very sorry for the pain and weariness you’re enduring in private. I don’t know the behind the scenes but know that we are praying for you and with you as you stand faithful. Remember who and whose you are and how the lord views you at all times.
Jen this devotion you have wrote. I believe God wanted you write it to share with us women. God had you share it to help us women to know to get proper security on our phones and laps etc. As Satan knows how to get people to get into them and then blackmail us into thinking they are from the bank etc. They can do it so well that you believe it is from the bank etc. Or a shop you bought something like a hoover. Then you think the email is from the shop you bought it from as it just looks like an email they send you or one from bank the too. You can so easily fall for them and they get into your phone to. They do it such away especially if you have been in shop or bank that you think it is genuine. Then they say would you like to say how your experience was in these places to get you. You can believe the number on the phone is from the people who they say they are from. The minute if you do hit a button and say yes they have you. Especially with online banking. My late Mum was nearly caught out by online banking. Only the bank caught on the people would have taken money out of her online bank account. From that day she deleted all her online banking stuff she had in her phone. She thought it was safe. Said from now on I will go into the bank do all I have to do over the counter my late Mum did that. Then it happened to me and my Husband one night. We got this phone call to say did you spend this amount of money today we knew it was from our bank they rang at 9pm. There number came up on or phone not the mobile but or land line. The person on the phone said who she was. Gave her work number as well so we check up it was who she said she was at our local bank. We said no we didn’t. She said someone was trying to hack your bank account as it a joint one we have. We were shocked we were shocked and I mean shocked. At how they got into our bank account. So the bank stopped them from taking any money. We thanked them. Then the next day for reassurance for ourselves we went into our bank to check was the phone call real and the person the person who said she was by giving her number to the bank. They said she was and that she worked for the bank this person who phones people if can in time to stop them being fruded if didn’t spend the money coming out of their bank account. We were so scared. I said to my Husband that night they are so good at getting into your account or your phone. So we got security like you Daughter on our phones and tablet. Yes it cost extra but it worth it for peace of mind like you said Jen for your Daughter. Sure I watched a programme on night on TV this woman doing the programme. Pretend to want to go work for the people in China who get into people phones and tablet etc. To get them all over the world to get people to send them money or pictures on their phone to them that are not good pictures. They as I watch the woman that was being trained up for the job. She was spying on them they didn’t know it. She watch how they do it. She was so saddened and shocked. They were having a ball. Then she saw the way they do it and blackmail the people they do it too. They the people are so scared not to do what they want. Then she got talking in the programme to a couple of people who had this done to them. They said they were so scared for their lives they did what they want. I think one person lost everything. It shocked me that anyone could do that. I said to my Husband who was watching it too. Bidden or not bidden God is watching them that do this. They do it school kids too as I have heard it done were I live too Northern Ireland. I said if they don’t see the wrong they do and don’t stop. Find the Lord to be their Saviour and repent and change their lives around a d stop what they are doing. They will be sorry when leave earth one day if get away with it this side of earth. They will have to face God and they will be sorry people then. I said to my Husband I wouldn’t like to be them then he agreed with me. Satan is crafty he will get people to do anything he wants. He don’t care who is hurt it all. We as followers of Jesus have to pray for these people to see the wrong they are doing. As one to many people from the programme I watch on this. Have done away with themselves because of people like this. Especially Teen-agers. That leaves family sad as they blame themselves as they think why didn’t I see the signs to get them the help. The people that did this before brought to justice for their wrong. The people and Kids that have it done to them can hide it so well no one knows what happing to them. They are just so scared to say that it happing to them. We as people that have kids have to ask or kids If everything ok when they are on the internet. Kids not be afraid to tell parents if something not right. They not mind parents asking if they check their phone or tabletd etc to see all ok.If they ask them who this and kids not be afraid to tell parents. The parents say why they are doing it. I pray to God for this as it offal people that do this will stope to any level to get people to do what they want. Thank you Jen for sharing this. Love Dawn Ferguson-Little Enniskillen Co.Fermanagh N.Ireland xx in my prayers all incourage.