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What to do if your Facebook account has been hacked?

Posted on July 15, 2021January 13, 2025 by Gail Eddy in Facebook, Hackers, Social Media, Tips

Lately, my inbox has been overrun with cries for help. Folks are telling me that their Facebook account has been hacked! The hackers are out there using a little social engineering to figure out your password and get total control of your Facebook.

“Someone hacked my Facebook and changed my password”
“Someone hacked my Facebook and changed my password and email”
“I was hacked on Facebook Messenger”
“My Facebook keeps getting hacked”
“Opened message from hacked Facebook account”

And, my favorite:

“My ex hacked my Facebook Can I press charges?”

Here’s just a small sample of some of the messages I’ve received:

Unfortunately, once you’ve lost control of your Facebook account, it’s awfully hard to get it back. We’ve tried to get accounts back, but, the hackers know what they’re doing. Once they take control, they lock the account down pretty tightly. They have already proved to Facebook that they are you, and once they’ve changed the email address and phone number, you’re not going to get it back.

What should you do right away if your Facebook account has been hacked, your password and email are changed, and you’ve lost control of it?

There are a number of things you should do right away. Think about your finances, online security for other accounts, your email, and other personal data like photos and notes.

What if my credit card or bank account is connected to my Facebook account?

The first thing you should do is contact your bank. If you have your credit card, debit card, or bank account connected to your Facebook you should cancel them right away. Period. Don’t even think about this. If the hacker has full control of your Facebook, they can go on a spending spree with your money. Until your bank officially cancels the card, keep a very close eye on your online banking activity.

Should I change my password on other accounts?

When your Facebook account has been hacked, you should change the password on these accounts right away:

Change the password on your email. If your Facebook uses multiple emails, change it on all of those accounts
Any account where you are using the same password as Facebook

Once you’ve changed the password on your email and any account using the same password as Facebook, change the passwords on all of your other accounts. (Yes, I said ALL!)

We recommend that you change your password on social media and your financial accounts at least monthly. Use a password that is at least 12 characters. (Longer is better.) Here’s an old blog on how to create a secure password that you’ll remember.

Use something like: “MyNewF@ceb0okPW!”, or “NewFB@ccount1nfo”. Both are 16 digit passwords. Notice that there is a mix of capital and small letters, numbers, and special characters. (I’ve replaced the “A”s with the @ symbol, one of the “o”s of Facebook is actually a zero, and the “I” of Info is actually the number one.) Change it at least once a month going forward.

Can they hack my email too?

Double-check your email settings. Have they changed? You should look especially at the “Reply-To” address. And change your password too!

I’ve been using Facebook to log into other apps. How do I get into them now?

If you’ve used another way to log into those apps, you can probably still log in with a password reset. If you only used Facebook to log in, you may be out of luck. Contact Customer Service for the app. Let them know what happened and tell them your email. They may let you back in. Since Instagram is owned by Facebook, you’ll probably have difficulties there.

I’m embarrassed. Should I tell my friends?

Absolutely! After you speak to your bank and change your password, call your friends. They should be on the lookout for messages that are not from you, especially if the message is asking for help or money.

How do I get all my photos back?

If you set up your account as “Public”, and the hacker hasn’t changed the settings, you may still be able to get access to your photos, albums, notes, etc. If you can’t, ask someone you trust (who is still a “friend” of the account) to download all of your data.

What about my Facebook business account?

If you’ve lost access to your personal Facebook account, you’ve lost access to your business account too. Make sure your customers know. If you’ve ever purchased advertising on Facebook, contact your bank and cancel that card or account.

Setting up a new Facebook account:

What should I do to securely set up a new personal Facebook account?

Set up a new email account to use only for Facebook
Set up Two-Factor Authorization with the new account.
Make sure your password is at least 12 characters long and contains a good mix of numbers, letters, capitals, and special characters.
Go through the Privacy and Security settings on your new Facebook and lock it down as much as you can.
Change the password on your new account monthly.
Don’t provide any financial information to Facebook. If you want to purchase something on the Marketplace, negotiate a different means of payment with the seller.

How should I set up a new Facebook Business account?

Create another new email account to only use with your Facebook business account. (You’ll need to set up a personal account first. And, yes, you’ll end up with two personal accounts.)
Follow the same steps outlined above for setting up your new business account.
If you advertise on Facebook, ask your bank for a separate credit card with a minimal spending limit. (Don’t use a debit card!)

How do I “Lock Down” my new account(s)?

If figuring out the Privacy settings on your new Facebook page is more than you want to do, let us know. We can set up a remote appointment with Chris to go through all of your settings to make sure another hacking is less likely. (Unfortunately, there are never any guarantees when it comes to protecting yourself from hackers.)

Information About Geek For Hire, Inc.

I’ve created a Free Report to protect you from “phishing” scams. Click here to receive it!

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has provided computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past eighteen years. Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly. You can find more on our website, or give us a call at 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3 support) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area and remote service throughout North America.

Here’s a link to our Covid19 Policy.

We’ve been using Amazon Prime for the past few years. We like the free and fast shipping. With Prime, we have access to online streaming too. Prime is usually $119/year, but you can get a free 30-day trial by clicking on this link: Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

More Tips Here:

Are VPNs worth it? More here.
Are you interested in learning more about Extreme Privacy?
We have seen a lot of Facebook hacking lately. Here’s what you should do ahead of time to keep your account safe.
And here are the 10 Password Mistakes you don’t want to make!

Hacked Email? Check your “Rules”

Posted on April 15, 2021January 13, 2025 by Gail Eddy in eMail, Hackers, Phishing, Technology Tips

This past week, we received hacked email messages “from” several different customers indicating that their email account has become compromised. I have “from” in quotes because the emails weren’t actually from those people.

Each email was similar, in that they all started with a benign and short email message saying “Checking in” or “Favor to ask!” or “Hey there?”. The request said something like “I wonder if I could ask your help?”. All the messages were received within the past 7 days. This indicates an active and fruitful attack that is going on right now.

HACKED EMAIL – CHECKING IN:

Here’s a screenshot of one of the first hacked email messages we received:

Chris replied with a quick email that said “Yes, I will call you later today”. Our “Spider-Sense” was tingling about this message – because this is not something that this customer would do via email. A few minutes later, we received this message:

We noticed that the “reply from” address was slightly different from his actual email address. (An “R” was added to the end of his name.) I called the customer a few minutes later, and he said he had not sent either of the messages. We talked for a while, and I recommended that he turn off his computer, and wait until I could arrive later that day.

Super-Geek To The Rescue:

The first thing was to review his MSN account security information, such as the cell phone and alternate email addresses on file which can be used for account recovery, and to change his password. I enabled a feature to disconnect all already connected email programs which might still be connected. We wanted to make sure the hacker did not still have access to his account, to possibly seize back control. I looked through his past login history and found that there were several recent attempts from Nigeria using Exchange. This was a smart and sneaky attack.

I scanned his machine, and found the machine was not infected – but there was something wrong with his MSN email account. His Inbox showed that it had not received any new email messages for the past several days. (He could send email messages just fine.)

I looked through his account configuration within MSN, and found that a Rule (which did not have a name) had been added. It was applied to every new email message.

Mark the message as Read
Move the message to the Archive folder
Forward a copy of that email message to a different email account. This looked like the customer’s email address but with very subtle differences.

I found that all of the customer’s recent email was indeed in the Archive folder, and moved them back to the Inbox. I deleted the Rule added by the Hijacker.

HEY THERE?

Here’s another hacked email we received:

This was a sneaky one too with multiple Rules added to their email. In this case, their Comcast email account had been modified to have a similar Rule added, which was forwarding a copy of all email messages to a similarly named email address under the Hotmail.com domain that did not belong to the customer. The password was changed, the account recovery information was reviewed, and the silent email forwarding Rules (there were two) were found and deleted.

FAVOR TO ASK!

For another customer, we received this “Favor to Ask!” message:

We contacted them with a different email to let them know. They sent an email blast to their contacts announcing that their email address had been compromised, which is good. But they didn’t BCC everyone so we:

saw their complete list of contacts, and
so did everyone else.

Remember, if you need to send an email message to many contacts, follow good Netiquette and don’t use CC. Using BCC will hide all contacts that you are sending to. (Who remembers “carbon copies”, “blind carbon copies”, and getting their fingers all inky?!)

FAVOR TO ASK?

We also received this similar message from a hacked email:

Again, the hacker changed the rules within their email account.

GREETINGS

And, last but not least, we received this convoluted request:

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN YOUR EMAIL INBOX:

If you get an email like this, it’s important to let the person know, WITHOUT using the email address that was used to send the original message! The best option is to call or text them. If you don’t have their phone number, see if you have another email for them. You can also contact a family member and ask them to pass on the message. I’ve even resorted to sending the person a message on Facebook.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE DEALING WITH A HACKED EMAIL ACCOUNT:

If you find out that your email has been compromised there are several things you should do right away:

Change your password on your email account.
Double-check that your “reply to” address is really your address. Look for an extra letter. Is the domain correct? (Comcast? Gmail? Outlook? etc.)
Check your email account “Rules” to see if any new emails are forwarded to a different address?
Let people know that your email is compromised. Make sure they know you’re fine and don’t need a gift card for Amazon or Apple. If you send one email to a bunch of people, please use BCC.

As always, if you need help, give us a call. In most cases, we can help you remotely.

CONCLUSION:

Scammers, hackers, hijackers, and spear-phishers are getting more sophisticated in their attacks. Here’s a recent article about a big-time Nigerian email scam. Today is a great day to run your virus scanner, change passwords, set up two-factor authorization, and back up your data!

I’ve created a Free Report to protect you from “phishing” scams. Click here to receive it!

Information about Geek For Hire, Inc.

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has provided computer service to families and small businesses with Macs and PCs for the past eighteen years. Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly. You can find more on our website or give us a call at 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3 support) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area and remote service throughout North America.

Here’s a link to our Covid19 Policy.

More Tips Here:

Are you interested in learning more about Extreme Privacy?
We have seen a lot of Facebook hacking lately. Here’s what you should do ahead of time to keep your account safe.
And here are the 10 Password Mistakes you don’t want to make!

Spring Cleaning Your Tech – 5 Easy Tips!

Posted on March 31, 2021March 7, 2026 by Gail Eddy in Technology Tips

I don’t know about you, but when I think “Spring Cleaning”, I’m thinking about dust bunnies, dog nose art, and getting the sleeveless shirts from the back of the closet. (Fun trick: Turn hangers backward for your clothes at the start of a new season. At the end of the season, anything you haven’t worn, donate!)

Please note: We often recommend products, parts, and resources that we like. Some of these are affiliate links, and we may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

When I hear “Spring Cleaning”, I’m not thinking about my technology. What about you? Do you think about Spring Cleaning Your Tech? Here are some tips for you:

Spring Cleaning Your Tech – aka Computer Maintenance:

Take a minute every month or so to scan your computer for viruses. Many of our customers use ESET, which Chris has recommended for years. It’s easy to do. Just open the ESET/NOD32 app and click on “Scan Your Computer”. It will run in the background while you continue working. When it’s done, it will tell you and let you know if it has found anything suspicious.
Back up your computer regularly, especially if you have precious data on it. I use Dropbox which backs up everything automatically. I have the Dropbox app on my phone as well, so I can access files from anywhere. Plus, if my computer is down for any reason, I can head to the Library, log into Dropbox, and pull up the file I need to work on from there.
Purchase several thumb drives and make a copy of the photo albums you have stored on your computer. Keep one and give the rest as gifts to your kids, parents, aunts, uncles, friends, etc.
Change your passwords for financial accounts at least monthly. That includes your checking, saving, and investment accounts. Don’t forget about any app or website where you’ve saved credit card information, like eBay, PayPal, Amazon, etc.
While you’re at it, please change the password on ALL of your social media accounts. Do it right now! And set up two-factor-authorization (2FA) at the same time. We’re getting between two and five requests every single day about a hacked Facebook or Instagram account. I haven’t heard any success stories here.

Dropbox:

Keep your frequently used files in the “Starred” folder. These come up first, so you won’t have to search for them. I keep insurance documents and other important papers, as well as frequently accessed Word and Excel files, in that folder.

More Tips:

Insurance Cards: Do you ever get to the DMV to renew your registration and they want to see your insurance card, but you haven’t brought it inside with you? Me too! Now, whenever the new cards arrive, I take a photo with my phone and put it in my “Favorites” album. Then if the DMV asks for it, I can bring it up quickly.

Speaking of important information, it’s not a bad idea to take a photo of everything you keep in your wallet in case you misplace it. Keep all those photos in a password-protected folder on your Mac or PC.

Conclusion:

Today is a great day to run your virus scanner, change passwords, and back up your data!

I’ve created a Free Report to protect you from “phishing” scams. Click here to receive it!

Information about Geek For Hire, Inc.

Here’s a link to our Covid19 Policy.

More Tips Here:

Are you interested in learning more about Extreme Privacy?
We have seen a lot of Facebook hacking lately. Here’s what you should do ahead of time to keep your account safe.
And here are the 10 Password Mistakes you don’t want to make!

Daylight Savings Time – Atomic Clocks Reviewed

Posted on March 13, 2021March 6, 2026 by Gail Eddy in Technology Tips

Between the extreme wind, heavy snow, and very cold temperatures, we’ve had a lot of power outages. I got tired of resetting all of the clocks plugged into shore power (see what I did there vanlifers?!), so I decided to get a few battery-powered atomic clocks. That way the clocks keep the time during power outages AND reset themselves when Daylight Savings Time (DST) begins and ends. Double win!

I ended up getting four different atomic clocks that sync with the WWVB broadcast from NIST. (Bad joke: What time is it? It’s NisTime!) Two of the four I like. The others I am returning as soon as the driveway is shoveled and I can get into town!

Just so you know, if you purchase anything from the links on this page we may receive a small commission. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

When DST begins and ends, I get so confused. Did I lose an hour? What is the true time? Will I get an extra hour of sleep? Did I spring ahead or is it time for turning back the clock? I just know that I hate Daylight Savings and it is time for a permanent daylight savings. Or permanent standard time. Either one is okay with me.

But today is not the day for those issues. Today is the day to find the best atomic clock. Here are the ones I purchased to review for you:

WallerGe Digital Atomic Wall Clock:

The first one to arrive was the WallerGe Atomic Clock:

This one is on the wall in our family room. The numbers are big enough to read from the couch, and I can see the temperature in the room at a glance. I give it a solid 3.8 out of 4 stars. It came with the batteries and quickly acquired the correct time and date from the official atomic clock at www.time.gov, aka NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) in Boulder, CO. I love that it will automatically update the time when Daylight Savings Time (DST) kicks in. Why not four stars? It doesn’t light up in the dark which I didn’t realize I wanted until this one was on the wall. At the time I purchased it, the WallerGe clock was $28

Marathon Atomic Clock:

Once I realized I wanted a clock that would light up at night I ordered the Marathon clock which was about $40.

I really like this one. It came with batteries so I set it up right out of the box. I clicked the button to get the atomic time reading from NIST and it updated right away. I put it in the bedroom and when I wake up in the middle of the night I can easily read the time, even without my glasses.

There are three settings for the light; off, high, and low. There is a little sensor on the front that can tell if it’s dark or not. When it’s dark, the light turns on.

It’s got six times zones to choose from, so it works anywhere from Newfoundland to the west coast – all of Canada, Mexico, and most of the continental US. (Sorry, Alaska and Hawaii. You’ll need a different clock!)

October 2021 Update: The Marathon Clock is by far my favorite!

Sharp Atomic Clock:

An analog atomic clock is like a unicorn. This NIST clock from Sharp is perfect for just above the sink in the kitchen. It reminds me of a classroom clock. (I loved school!) I really wanted to like this one, but it wasn’t totally silent, and the time was sometimes off by a few minutes.

LaCrosse Technology Atomic Clock:

The last one we tried out was the LaCrosse Atomic Clock, and it was the worst.

I got this atomic alarm clock because the digits are large and I thought it might be hard to read the Marathon clock in the dark. Wrong.

You actually need to push a button to turn on the light. Having it across the bedroom and expecting to read it while still in the dark is unrealistic. The light on this one is either on or off. If it’s on, it is extra bright, even with the low setting. If the light is off, it’s unreadable in the dark.
In addition, it came with the alarm pre-set to midnight and turned on. So the first night we tried it, we were blasted awake at midnight!
Third, it didn’t come with batteries, so I had to dig around for a while before I found the right ones.
Then, it took its sweet time (55 minutes!) to get the time signal from NIST. After the first 20 minutes, I realized that it was no longer searching for the signal so I needed to push the button again. (And again and again every five minutes after that until it finally captured the signal.)
This clock was around $24. Since the Daylight Savings Time (DST) is tomorrow I’ll get a chance to see if it updates automatically before I return it. (It did.)

Conclusion:

Now is a great time to get an atomic clock that you don’t have to reset after every power outage or Daylight Savings Time (DST) change. And, just for fun, here is a link to a daylight savings meme or two.

I’ve created a Free Report to protect you from “phishing” scams. Click here to receive it!

Information about Geek For Hire, Inc.

Here’s a link to our Covid19 Policy.

More Tips Here:

Thinking about buying a personal computer?
… or about getting a new Mac?
We have seen a lot of Facebook hacking lately. Here’s what you should do ahead of time to keep your account safe.
And here are the 10 Password Mistakes you don’t want to make!

Facebook Hacking is on the rise! (It’s not your imagination.)

Posted on March 1, 2021January 13, 2025 by Gail Eddy in Facebook, Hackers, Technology Tips

This is short and sweet – 5 steps to keep you safe from Facebook Hacking. If you want more tips, please sign up for our emails.

(Updated from 31 March 2020.)

Chris has been getting a lot of calls recently about hacked Facebook accounts. A lot of the Facebook hacking starts when you click on a video that a “friend” sent you via Facebook Messenger. It is most likely that your friend’s account has already been compromised, and it is the Facebook hacker sending you the video.

If someone else has gotten control of your Facebook account, it is really hard to get it back. So follow these steps before that happens!

What to do:

Here are Chris’ suggestions if your Facebook account has been hacked:

Change your password.
Change your security question(s) and answers (in case they were reviewed by someone else).
Log out of all locations where you are logged in.
Confirm that your recovery email address and your mobile phone number is still yours and not set to someone else’s.
Tell your friends not to open any videos or any other links that you have sent.

Doing this will help you keep your account yours after you change your password.

Facebook Hacking via Messenger:

It seems like we are all using social media more now than we did even a month ago. Try not to send any links at all via Facebook Messenger for the time being. If you do get a video (or other links) on Facebook Messenger, don’t click on it right away. Instead, send an email to your friend confirming that they sent the video.

Facebook Hacking Service:

I also did a quick Google search to see what other advice is out there to make your account more secure. Boy, was I surprised when I saw links to a Facebook Hacking Service and an ad to Hire a Facebook Hacker!

Online Security:

Finally, we recommend ESET to keep ALL of your devices safe online.

Other Hints:

Also, please remember to stay well clear of shortened links unless you know without a doubt where that link will take you. That includes most bit.ly and owl.ly links. Here’s a recent article about short links.
Likewise, there are a lot of scams out there. Read our article about Covid19 scams.

I’ve created a Free Report to protect you from “phishing” scams. Click here to receive it!

INFORMATION ABOUT GEEK FOR HIRE, INC.

Here’s a link to our Covid19 Policy.

Facebook Account – Has Yours Been Hacked?

Posted on February 20, 2021January 13, 2025 by Gail Eddy in Technology Tips

I read an article recently about how to find out if someone in a different location was logged into your Facebook account. I followed the steps and saw that someone in Dallas was logged into my account! Whoa! I logged out of the devices in those locations pretty quickly.

Originally posted on 13 February 2018.

There are several steps to follow to see if someone has hacked into your Facebook account.

The first thing to check on your Facebook account:

The first thing you want to do is to determine if you are logged into your Facebook account from odd locations. To check this, click on “Settings” and then on “Security and Login”. That screen will tell you all the places (and devices) that you are logged in. If something seems odd, then log out of that location. For example, did you use the library computer to check Facebook? Did you want to show your aunt that funny meme and logged into Facebook on her computer but forgot to log out.

Second thing:

Check your birthday and email to make sure they haven’t been changed. If they have been changed, change them back and then immediately check the recovery email. Is it still your email address, or was it changed?

Also, has anyone told you they received a second friend request from you? Or are there messages that have been sent, but not sent by you? Again, this is a good time to change your password and notify your friends not to open a recent private message from you. You should also notify Facebook that your account may be compromised.

You should also:

Now is a good time to change your password as well. It’s on the same screen as “Security and Login”. Click on “Change Password”, and choose a secure one! Here are some tips for creating a strong password.

Lastly:

Bump up your security settings. Ask Facebook to send you an alert when someone tries to log into your account. Now is also a good time to set up Two-Factor Authentication. You can access both of those settings from the same “Security and Login” screen.

You can also check out this recent post about Facebook Hacking too, for five easy tips to keep you safe.

ONLINE SECURITY:

We recommend ESET to keep ALL of your devices safe online.

Watch Out For Phone, Text, Email, and Other Scams:

Remember to stay well clear of shortened links unless you know without a doubt where that link will take you. That includes most bit.ly and owl.ly links. Here’s a recent article about short links.
Right now, there are a lot of scams out there. Read our article about Covid19 scams.

I’ve created a Free Report to protect you from “phishing” scams. Click here to receive it!

Information about Geek For Hire, Inc.

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has provided computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past eighteen years. Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly. You can find more on our website or give us a call at 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3 support) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area and remote service throughout North America.

Here’s a link to our Covid19 Policy.

Extreme Privacy: What it Takes to Disappear – Book Review

Posted on January 5, 2021January 13, 2025 by Gail Eddy in Apple, AT&T, iPhone, Technology Tips

When I saw Extreme Privacy by Michael Bazzell on Amazon I was intrigued. Many of you know that Privacy and Security are very important to me. This book might give me tips on how to make my online presence even more private! I ordered it right away. (FYI, the third edition, published May 2021, was completely rewritten.)

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Extreme Privacy Overview:

At 566 pages, Extreme Privacy: What It Takes To Disappear, is a hefty book. There are so many topics covered, in so much detail, I wasn’t able to read it all the way through. In many places, the material was too dense for a layman to comprehend. One of my big complaints about the book is the Index on page 566. A one-page index does not do this 20-Chapter book justice.

Despite the length, I did thoroughly review the whole book. The first part of each chapter was interesting and was written at a pretty high level. I was able to get the gist of each chapter without having to read all the detail on subjects in which I wasn’t terribly interested.

This book is primarily targeted at high-profile people who need to implement extreme privacy. (Think movie stars, CEOs, and billionaires.) It’s also directed at people who have been seriously threatened and need to disappear. But it also has some great tips for people who just want to be more digitally secure. Our information is EVERYWHERE, and even companies who say they will be careful with our information are subject to cyber-attacks. (Right now, we’re still waiting to see the complete fallout of the 2020 Solar Winds attack on US government systems.)

What I learned:

One of the big takeaways I got from Extreme Privacy is that hiding is not cheap. There is new equipment to buy, with cash. A trust to set up. Accountants and Lawyers to advise you on what is legal and what is not. A new home to buy or rent. Multiple online devices to purchase; one to use only at home, and another to never use at home. And then there is all the equipment that normal people use, like a VPN, Servers, and routers.

Another thing I learned is that all of the work you do disappear can all be undone with a little social engineering. For example, if you have your mail delivered to a private mailbox in another state, which then forwards the mail to you. An unscrupulous person finds the address and phone number of the private mailbox company. They call and say they are your brother or wife and ask for the address to which mail is forwarded. Boom! All your hard work for privacy is gone.

Another potential problem is hacking. You bring your pet to a new Vet and provide your real address and phone number. Many Veterinarians provide their customer data to marketing firms so they can keep in touch with their clients. Then the marketing firm gets hacked and your data is “in the wild”.

I also learned how I could go about removing my information from public databases.

What I liked about Extreme Privacy:

I thought the book was well organized. Using the Table of Contents it was easy to find the sections that I was interested in. I learned about a lot of new tracking tools that are being used, and how to legally get around them. For example, license plate scanners: How can you legally get around having them scan your license plate?

Another thing I liked was that Mr. Bazzell has years of experience and he’s made a few mistakes. He discussed those mistakes openly – what the mistake was, and how he does things differently today.

I also liked that the book takes a proactive approach. It outlines the things you can do today before you run into issues with privacy and security.

I’ve created a Free Report to protect you from “phishing” scams. Click here to receive it!

Information about Geek For Hire, Inc.

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has provided computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past eighteen years. Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly. You can find more on our website or give us a call at 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3 support) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area and remote service throughout North America.

Here’s a link to our Covid19 Policy.

More Tips Here:

Why I like Chrome now.
Here’s a look back at 2020 Tech.
We have seen a lot of Facebook hacking lately. Here’s what you should do ahead of time to keep your account safe.
And here are the 10 Password Mistakes you don’t want to make!

New Apple Watch 6 – Geek For Hire’s Review

Posted on October 20, 2020January 13, 2025 by Gail Eddy in Apple, AT&T, iPhone, Technology Tips

I traded in my old Apple Watch for the new Apple Watch 6 a few weeks ago. I got the one with GPS and cellular. Now that I’ve gotten used to it and its functions, I think it’s time for a review. (As an Amazon Associate, and we earn from qualifying purchases.)

What I Like About My New Apple Watch 6:

Blood Oxygen:

The Apple Watch 6 measures your blood oxygen percentage. I never realized how important this measurement was until Chris’ mom moved in with us. Moving from Long Island, NY, at sea level to 8500’ was hard for her. She began having issues with breathing and low-energy in general. Then her new doctor recommended that we get a pulse oximeter. This would help us measure her O2 regularly and know if she was in trouble. Twenty years later, I sometimes have issues with my O2 levels as well. My new watch helps me keep on top of the measurement. I also like that it tells me that it measures in a “high elevation environment.” It also measures my O2 sat when I’m asleep, as long as I’m not moving around while I am dreaming!

Watch Faces:

The new iWatch gives me the option to have different watch faces. There are probably 50 items you can track on the Apple Watch, but not all of them will fit on the watch face at one time. I have one watch face that tells me the time and date, of course, but it also tells me the local temperature, the Air Quality Index, wind speed, elevation, my next calendar item, and the current time in Rochester, NY, where much of my family lives. Another watch face only tells the time and rotates through about 20 favorite photos and videos. Another one tells me what time the sun and moon will rise and/or set.

Exercise:

I really like the way the Apple Watch tracks exercise. It gets me motivated each day to “close my rings.” There are three rings: One for active movement, one for exercise minutes, and one for standing each hour. I’m able to change the goals for each one to keep the pressure on. Apple has also added challenges each month. They’re always stretch goals, but not undoable. I’m looking forward to earning the October challenge by exercising a certain number of minutes this month.

Heart Rate:

The watch still measures my heart rate almost continuously. It tells me my high and low heart rate for the day, it tells me my average resting heart rate, and it tells me my heart rate recovery time after exercising. This is another way I can keep track of my overall health.

Hand Washing:

I get a “thumbs up when I’ve washed my hands long enough!

Sleep:

The new Apple Watch 6 still links with the Pillow app so I can check my sleep quality at a glance. I think the Pillow app is more robust than the sleep information provided by the Fitbit.

Colors:

Red is my color, and I love having a red watch. My second favorite is the blue one shown above. (But Chris said I could only get one!) Other colors include gold, graphite, silver, and space grey.

Charging:

The Apple Watch 6 charges WAAAAAY faster than my previous Apple Watch! I got this cute silicone charging stand to hold my Watch on my nightstand.

Watchbands:

The watchbands are interchangeable with my old watch. That’s a good thing. I really didn’t like the red shade the new Apple Watch came with. I was easily able to swap the weird red bands for basic black. And, it’s easy to order replacement watch bands to dress it up or make it sportier.

What I Don’t Like the new Apple Watch 6:

With my old Apple Watch, I was just able to take screenshots. With the new Apple Watch 6, I needed to enable screenshots before that function would work.
Siri is pretty intrusive and is constantly asking me what I need help with now.
Sometimes when I’m really active, the watch asks me if I’ve taken a hard fall. Now, in general, I like this feature, and I’ve heard some great stories of people in the backcountry that have been rescued, but it seems a little too sensitive for me.
Blood Oxygen measurement is not always accurate. Sometimes I’ll compare the measurement from my watch to the measurement with the pulse ox. About 20% of the time, the measurements are substantially different. I’m hoping that the Apple engineers are working on this and will push out an update to make it more accurate over time.
I have to stay really, really still in order for the Watch to take an O2 measurement. I can’t take it when I’m exercising or in a moving car or when I’m moving around in any way at all.
There isn’t an option to make the text on the Watch Face larger. My older eyes sometimes have a problem reading the data, especially the elevation!

How-To Book:

There are so many features on this new Apple watch. I got confused and overwhelmed when I was setting it up. This book helped me a lot. It’s available in paperback and Kindle format. I downloaded it to my Kindle which was good, because I had access to the information right away. The downside is that there weren’t links to the different sections of the book, so there was a lot of scrolling involved.

Important!

If you need help setting up your new Apple Watch, let us know. Here are some important things to remember:

If you’re trading in your old Apple Watch, remember to delete all of your personal data. (That’s what I did and the AT&T store gave me a great deal when buying it back.)
Back up your iPhone before setting up the new Watch and make sure it has the latest iOS.
Make sure you set up a passcode. The Apple Watch locks every time you take it off, which this security conscious gal says is a good thing!
The Apple Watch interacts with three separate apps on your iPhone;

Watch Out For Phone, Text, Email, and Other Scams:

Remember to stay well clear of shortened links unless you know without a doubt where that link will take you. That includes most bit.ly and owl.ly links. Here’s a recent article about short links.
Right now, there are a lot of scams out there. Read our article about Covid19 scams.

I’ve created a Free Report to protect you from “phishing” scams. Click here to receive it!

Information about Geek For Hire, Inc.

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has provided computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past eighteen years. Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly. You can find more on our website or give us a call at 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3 support) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area and remote service throughout North America.

Here’s a link to our Covid19 Policy.

Important Tips if you want a new Apple Computer in 2020 or 2021

Posted on October 7, 2020January 13, 2025 by Gail Eddy in Apple, iMac, Laptops, Technology Tips

Several customers have wanted a new Apple Computer recently. Chris helped them with their purchases and learned a thing or two about the current Mac buying process.

Customer Experience #1:

About two months ago, I served a customer who has been a long-term loyal Apple person. He wanted to get the new Apple computer because his roughly 7-year-old iMac had become slow. He went to the Apple Store and got a new iMac. I prepped his new machine and transferred his data. I found it was slow at the time, and told him this. He said he would work with it.

Investigation:

About two weeks later, he called back, saying that his new iMac was very slow. I came to inspect the machine and confirmed that it was glacially slow. It was much slower than his previous iMac. I found that this beautiful-looking new machine, unfortunately, had an 8th generation Core i3 processor in it, which is slow, and a 5400 RPM physical hard drive, which is also very slow. These are important specifications that a “forward-leaning” company like Apple should not be selling. The machine he bought at the Apple Store is the kind of computer you want someone you don’t like to have.

I called the Apple Store where he bought the machine, and there was no answer after many calls. The call eventually rolled over to Apple Corporate, and after about 1-1.5 hours on hold, I was able to finally talk with someone at Apple Corporate.

Initial Findings:

I learned that Apple has a 14 day “no-questions-asked” return policy. But since the computer was bought from the store, rather than ordered through Apple Corporate, the return or exchange of the computer must be done through the store. Apple Corporate would not handle a return for a purchase made at the store. It was as if each Apple Store was independently owned and operated. This was not what we expected.

Also, it’s the “Time of Covid-19”, and the local Boulder Apple Store is closed, or at least not answering their phones. (At least four attempts were made.)

(In my opinion, this new iMac, which the customer had purchased by himself at the Store, was unworthy for him to keep because it performed so badly. This was a violation of the basic Apple premise of good performance from your computer. You expect to love any computer you get from Apple.)

Field Trip:

We drove to the local Apple Store in Boulder and found that no one was inside. There was an EZ-Up popup tent on the sidewalk, with a couple of Apple people talking with citizens. There were marks on the sidewalk for social distancing. They also had two security guards there who were not doing Apple business but were there to take a forehead temperature. We put our name in and explained that we wanted to return this machine and to get another iMac today.

After waiting for about half an hour, we were approached by a young man who handled the return. The return process was pretty clean and easy and was completed in 5-10 minutes.

He was personally a little prickly, maybe because he was surprised. (Who in their right mind wants to return an Apple anything, ever?)

Well, this was one of those times, and it was for cause – a substantial technical failure by inadequate capabilities of a new machine, which was much slower than his current 7-year-old machine.

He was mildly contemptuous that anyone might say Apple wasn’t great. We again asked him to process the return because this product is not being kept and we’re getting it done on day 14 – within the 14-day return policy.

Replacement Mac:

After he received the return, we began to talk about getting a replacement computer. Long story short: the Apple Store only had iMacs with physical hard drives in them. If we wanted a Solid State Drive in the computer, it would have to be ordered from Apple Corporate, and it would take about two weeks to arrive. (This was in mid-August.) The Apple employee could not receive that order. We would need to order it online.

We left, placed an online order with Apple Corporate, and the new Apple computer arrived about 10 days later. The new iMac performs impressively well, and the customer is delighted.

Customer Experience #2:

The picture below is for a different machine than the story above. It was purchased at the end of September 2020 and shows the estimated arrival time is Nov 2 – Nov 9. Now, four to five weeks is a long time to wait so that you don’t get a physical hard drive in your new iMac. (Apple and other manufacturers are delayed in shipping machines.)

The customer called back the next morning, saying that he had talked with his family in Denver. They had found the exact same machine that he had ordered at a local technology store. He could get it today! I walked him through the important points to make sure it really was the same machine.

Did it come with a solid-state drive, or did it have a “fusion” drive or a physical hard drive?
Does it have the better 8^th generation processor?
Did it come with enough RAM? (RAM can’t be upgraded later.)

He talked with his family, and no, the store did not have the computer with the better equipment which /is/ necessary. He will continue to wait a month for the new machine to arrive.

UPDATE: The customer’s machine arrived mid-October!

Here are Chris’ specific tips for buying a new Apple computer:

One: Drive

Make sure that your Mac comes with a “Flash Drive” which is a full Solid State Drive (SSD). Do not get a “Fusion Drive,” which is a large Physical Hard Drive with a small Solid State Drive, which acts as a cache. The performance increase is poor. Do not get a Physical Hard Drive because it is /much/ slower than an SSD. Spend the money. Take the longer view. Get an SSD.

Two: Processor

Make sure that it comes with a Core i7 processor, and not a Core i3 processor. As of right now, the iMac can come with either an 8th generation Core i3 processor or an 8th generation Core i7 processor. Both processors say “quad-core,” but the performance of the Core i7 processor is so /much/ better than the Core i3. It really is worth the extra $200. NOTE: The current Intel processor generation is the 11th generation, but the 10th generation has been commonly available on the open market for the past year.
Intel makes four lines of consumer processors: Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, and Core i9.

- Core i3 has low-end performance and low cost, do not get this processor unless your needs are really low
- The Core i5 is a mid-pack processor that satisfies the needs of most normal people who want to use a computer and want to like the computer
- Core i7 is a high-end, high-performance processor and will serve you nicely for most tasks
- The Core i9 is uber-high-end and is expensive.

Three: How to Purchase

You should order your Apple computer online from Apple Corporate. Don’t buy it at the local store. The Apple Store does not have the better computers. You have to go through Apple Corporate to get those. Keep in mind too, that Apple Corporate will not help you return a purchase that you made at the Apple Store.

Four: Delay Time

The current delay time (in September 2020) for ordering a new iMac from Apple Corporate is 4-5 weeks. IMHO: take the longer view, order the machine with the better features you actually want, bite the bullet, and wait for it to arrive.

Conclusion:

As most people already know, Apple has historically made really good computers. They aren’t cheap, and they tend to last a long time. I have several 10-year-old MacBook Pro and iMac computers that I’ve rebuilt with SSDs, and they perform competently in 2020. Granted, the speed of the SSD does nothing for the speed of the processor or the speed of the video card, but the operational speed of the old computer with a new SSD is definitely satisfactory in 2020.

But lately, I find that Apple has begun to cut corners on what they put into their computers. I see slow processors which are several generations old. I’ve also seen physical hard drives into the computer rather than a “Flash Drive” – which is also known as a Solid State Drive.

Computers are one of those “you get what you pay for” kinds of things. The Apple Premium is alive and well and has been for years. Apple offers discounts to no one. A recent customer wanted a new iMac. He is a long-term professor at the local University. Apple offered him an Academic Discount of $50. (FYI, We get 35-50% discounts from Dell and a lower discount from other manufacturers. We always pass that discount on to our customers.)

If you need help navigating the process of getting a new Mac or PC, please let us know. This is just one of the services that we offer. And, if you’re wondering how to set up a new Apple computer, we can help with that as well.

Watch Out For Phone, Text, Email, and Other Scams:

Remember to stay well clear of shortened links unless you know without a doubt where that link will take you. That includes most bit.ly and owl.ly links. Here’s a recent article about short links.
Right now there are a lot of scams out there. Read our article about Covid19 scams.

Information about Geek For Hire, Inc.

I’ve created a Free Report to protect you from “phishing” scams. Click here to receive it!

Here’s a link to our Covid19 Policy.

Is it Time to Trade In Your Old Kindle?

Posted on January 27, 2020January 13, 2025 by Gail Eddy in Mac's, PC's, Printer, Technology Tips, Tips, Windows

I frequently get emails from Amazon, letting me know about new products or exclusive sales that they have that I may want to pass on to our customers. Recently I got a funny one. Amazon wants you to trade in your old Kindle, and they’ll give you a discount on a new one, plus, give you a gift card!

However, I’m a fan of older technology. I remember the “good old days” when things just worked, and I didn’t need someone like Chris to come in and fix stuff for me. In fact, this morning, I was talking with a customer about our 30-year-old Hewlett-Packard printer that still works today. Why don’t they make things like that anymore?

That’s part of the reason that I love my 1st generation Kindle. I got it as a Christmas gift way back in 2010. I especially remember it because we had traveled to Oregon, where our daughter was working at Hood Meadows for the ski season. We packed all the gifts, three people, two dogs, and a cat into the Volvo for the thousand-mile drive. And then there was that Amazon box under my daughter’s tree waiting for me!

I love that Kindle, and I still use it today. I love that it has a very long battery life and isn’t too heavy when I’m reading in bed and holding it up in front of me. What don’t I like? The first generation Kindle doesn’t have a backlight, so I can’t read it at night. It doesn’t have a touch screen, and I have to type on the teensy-tiny screen when I’m searching for something or trying to get to the Table of Contents.

Please note: We will often recommend products, parts, and resources that we like. Sometimes we’ll receive an affiliate commission for at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

If you’ve got an older Kindle that doesn’t work, I’d suggest getting a new one. Get 20% off a new Kindle E-reader. And if you already have a Kindle and L-O-V-E to read, you need to sign up for Kindle Unlimited. You’ll get a free month, and then for $10 a month, you get free access to a million books. Books that you’ll want to read, including the latest best-sellers.

Check out the new Kindle if you want one you can read at night!

Information about Geek For Hire, Inc.

I’ve created a Free Report to protect you from “phishing” scams. Click here to receive it!

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has been providing computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past eighteen years. Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly. You can find more on our website, or give us a call 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3 support) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area as well as remote service throughout North America.