Bay Area man lost his wife, then got scammed. Now Facebook won't stop the hacker

AND A NORTH BAY WIDOWER IS TAKING ISSUE WITH FACEBOOK. >> HE RECENTLY LEARNED THAT THIS ACCOUNT HAD BEEN, AND THE PERSON WHO TOOK IT OVER POSTED A PHOTO OF HIS LATE WIFE WITH A PHONY GOFUNDME CAMPAIGN ASKING FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO PAY FOR HER FUNERAL. NOW, MONTHS LATER, FACEBOOK STILL REFUSES TO SHUT IT DOWN. ABC SEVEN NEWS REPORTER KARINA NOVA HAS THIS REPORT FROM SEVEN ON YOUR SIDE ON A DAILY BASIS. >> I AM CONFRONTING HER ABSENCE. >> RICHARD LINKS WAS STRUGGLING WITH GRIEF OVER THE LOSS OF HIS BELOVED WIFE, CATHERINE. >> I WALK IN HERE, I SEE HER, I'M SURROUNDED BY HER PRESENCE. >> CATHERINE'S DEATH FROM CANCER LAST SUMMER LEFT HIM SUDDENLY ALONE AFTER 31 YEARS OF MARRIAGE , BUT HIS GRIEF TORE AT HIS HEART. A SCAM MADE IT WORSE. >> THEY HAVE TAKEN A PICTURE OF MY LATE WIFE, CATHERINE, AND POSTED IT TO THE FAKE GOFUNDME PAGE. >> RICHARD WAS SHOCKED TO FIND THIS POST ON HIS OWN FACEBOOK PAGE. IT WAS A PHOTO OF HIS LATE WIFE OVER A CAPTION SAYING DONATE IN MEMORY OF CATHERINE, ORGANIZED BY RICHARD LINKS. THE POST LINKED TO THIS FAKE GOFUNDME PAGE TAKING DONATIONS SUPPOSEDLY FOR HER FUNERAL. NONE OF THIS WAS REAL. >> GOD, YOU KNOW, STAB ME IN THE HEART. >> RICHARD TRIED TO DELETE THE FACEBOOK POST, BUT HE WAS LOCKED OUT OF HIS OWN ACCOUNT. AN IMPOSTER HAD TAKEN CONTROL. >> I WAS ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED THAT SOMEBODY WOULD BE SO EVIL AND HEARTLESS. JUST STOP ON ME. WHY DON'T YOU AND RUB YOUR DIRTY HEELS ALL OVER ME? >> HE WAS FRIGHTENED AND IT WAS. IT WAS SO EXPLOITIVE TO EXPLOIT A WIDOWER IN HIS MOMENT OF GRIEF. >> MY POOR WIFE, SHE WOULD BE HORRIFIED IF SHE WERE HERE WITNESSING WHAT'S GONE ON HERE. SHE WOULD BE SO FURIOUS. >> THE HACKER WAS ALSO SENDING DIRECT MESSAGES TO RICHARD'S FACEBOOK FRIENDS ASKING FOR MONEY FOR FRIENDS HAD ALREADY DONATED TO THE PHONY GOFUNDME CAMPAIGN. RICHARD USED A SECONDARY FACEBOOK ACCOUNT TO WARN OTHERS. IT REACHED ONLY A FEW PEOPLE. >> I CAN'T STAND ON BROADWAY AND FOURTH AVENUE AND HOLD A BIG SIGN, HIS FRIENDS AND SEVEN ON YOUR SIDE ALERTED GOFUNDME TO THE FRAUD. >> THREE DAYS LATER, THE SITE TOOK DOWN THE CAMPAIGN AND REFUNDED DONORS MONEY. HOWEVER FACEBOOK HAS REFUSED TO REMOVE THE HACKER FROM RICHARD'S ACCOUNT. >> WE'VE REVIEWED YOUR COMPLAINT, YADDA YADDA. WE FOUND NOTHING IRREGULAR. IT DOES NOT VIOLATE OUR POLICIES. >> RICHARD'S FRIENDS ALSO TRIED TO ALERT FACEBOOK TO THEIR AMAZEMENT, FACEBOOK KEPT SENDING AUTOMATED RESPONSES, SAYING THE ACCOUNT MET ALL STANDARDS. >> HOW MANY OF HIS FRIENDS COMPLAINED TO FACEBOOK? WE WERE NEVER TALKING TO A PERSON. THE COMPLAINTS GO TO AN ALGORITHM. THE ALGORITHM SPITS IT BACK AND SAYS THERE'S NOTHING WRONG IN THIS EMAIL. >> FACEBOOK TOLD RICHARD, QUOTE, WE REVIEWED THE PROFILE YOUR FRIENDS REPORTED AND FOUND THAT IT ISN'T PRETEND TO BE YOU WHICH INFER RICHARD. WELL, HOW ABOUT THIS MR. AND MRS. FACEBOOK? >> THESE PEOPLE STOLE MY IDENTITY FOR NEFARIOUS PURPOSES CHARGES TO THIS DAY THE STOLEN ACCOUNT IS STILL ACTIVE. >> NOW CLAIMING RICHARD IS RAISING MONEY FOR PROSTATE CANCER WHEN HE'S NOT. >> DOES THAT SOUND LIKE IT GOES WITH YOUR POLICY FOR SEVEN ON YOUR SIDE? >> KARINA NOVA ABC SEVEN NEWS. NOW FACEBOOK DID NOT RESPOND TO OUR QUESTIONS, ASKING WHY IT'S LETTING A HACKER CONTROL RICHARD'S ACCOUNT LIKE THIS. >> WE SHOULD NOTE THAT FACEBOOK'S PARENT COMPANY IS PLANNING A SERVICE. APPARENTLY THAT FOR ABOUT 15 BUCKS A MONTH WILL PROVIDE ACCOUNT SECURITY AND IDENTITY PROTECTION FOR USERS. WE'RE TOLD IT WILL BE ABLE TO RESTORE A STOLE

Channel: ABC7 News Bay Area

Views: 9,604

Keywords: news, abc, abc7news, facebook, gofundme, bay area man facebook hacked, fake gofundme, gofundme scam, facebook hacked, widower facebook account hacked, 7 on your side, 7oys, consumer, fraud, scam, Richard Links

Id: hc9rbGaETxs

Length: 3min 46sec (226 seconds)

Published: Sat Feb 24 2024