When Cybercrime Attacks Your Business and Your Body – I have never felt so helpless.
Not when I was raising a daughter as a single mom.
Not when I walked away from a secure six-figure job to build my own business from scratch.
Not even when I wrote about generational trauma and the monsters that haunt us.
No, nothing compares to what I experienced when I realized I was under attack—not by a stranger in a dark alley, but by someone I invited into my business. Someone I paid. Someone I trusted.
It all began with a decision to outsource some digital marketing. Like many entrepreneurs looking to scale, I hired a contractor to help with Google Ads and YouTube channel growth. He was persistent in his outreach, promising results and showcasing a polished, professional presence. Despite a few language barriers—he’s from Bangladesh and India—he seemed competent, reliable, and even likable.
At first, things ran smoothly. The numbers looked good. Engagement ticked up. I thought I had made a solid hire. But within a few months, I noticed red flags—ads that made no sense, dwindling results, and sloppy work. Still, I second-guessed myself. Maybe it was just a miscommunication, I thought. Maybe he just needed more time.
Then the mask came off.
He emailed me one day, out of the blue, asking for $250 to help with a personal matter. “I hope you won’t disappoint me,” he wrote. That line chilled me. Something shifted. This wasn’t business anymore—it was coercion.
I declined. Politely but firmly. I told him I was ending the relationship. And then, my real nightmare began.
What happened next felt like something straight out of a thriller—only it wasn’t fiction. It was my life.
Within days of ending the relationship, I became the target of a relentless and calculated cyberattack. At first, it was subtle—an unusual login attempt here, a missing file there. But then, it escalated. Fast.
This person weaponized every tool I had entrusted them with—tools that were meant to grow my business—and turned them against me. They found ways to infiltrate my accounts, steal my identity, and reroute financial transactions.
They tried to extort more money through every payment platform I used. When that failed, they created fake accounts in my name to intercept payments. They even hacked into my international money transfer services, moving funds into accounts I had no control over. But that was just the beginning.
They gained unauthorized access to my email and cloud storage accounts—and then erased everything. My website? Gone. Ten years of work vanished overnight. Eighteen years of personal and professional files—wiped out. Recovery options? Blocked.
They had changed the backup and security credentials, locking me out completely.
Then came the financial blow. My nonprofit’s bank account was drained, leaving it with a negative balance. Unauthorized ads were run on my dime. And even after I’d changed all my banking details, they found a way to snatch my next paycheck.
It felt like I was living inside a horror story where I couldn’t find the exit. And while the digital attack was terrifying, the emotional toll was just as devastating.
When Your Body and Spirit Get Hacked Too
It wasn’t just my business that was under siege—my body, mind, and spirit were, too. I stopped sleeping. My nights were restless, filled with anxiety and racing thoughts. My body ached from tension—headaches, stomach knots, and a constant tightness in my chest. Emotionally, I spiraled. I felt numb, disconnected, deeply sad, and on the verge of burnout. I couldn’t focus on work, barely had the energy to get through the day, and found myself snapping at the people I loved most. But what hit me hardest was the spiritual toll, feeling like something sacred had been violated. Like someone had reached into the very core of who I am and tried to erase it. I wasn’t just fighting to protect my business—I was fighting to hold on to myself.
Then the System Fails You
The worst part wasn’t even the destruction or financial loss.
The worst part was the fight—the fight to get help.
I spent hours—days—on the phone with tech support, financial institutions, and online platforms. Each time, I hoped someone would say, “We’ve got you. We’re on it.”
Instead, I got form emails, long hold times, and empty promises. I was being revictimized—this time by the very systems designed to protect me.
Cybercrime doesn’t just threaten your business. It threatens you. Your peace. Your identity. Your livelihood.
Here Are 4 Things You Must Do to Protect Yourself Now:
1. Tighten Up Your Digital Security
- Use strong, unique passwords for every platform (use a password manager).
- Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) on every account.
- Routinely audit your admin privileges—limit access to sensitive systems.
2. Secure Your Financial Accounts
- Set up alerts for all transactions.
- Regularly review your statements and immediately report suspicious activity.
- Use separate accounts for business and personal finances—never link them.
3. Vet Contractors and Partners Thoroughly
- Don’t just go off ads or referrals—ask for credentials and proof of past work.
- Use platforms that offer escrow payments and legal protection.
- Get contracts in writing with clear boundaries and termination clauses.
4. Back Everything Up—Twice
- Store copies of your digital assets on external hard drives and cloud backups.
- Use services with version history so you can recover older files.
- Back up your website, email, and social media accounts regularly.
Taking Back Control
To this day, I’m still trying to hold this person and the companies involved accountable. But something changed when I decided I wouldn’t let this person dictate my life.
Yes, I was angry. Yes, I was devastated. But I had a choice:
I could wallow in the sorrow, or I could rise up, rebuild, and do everything in my power to protect myself—and help protect others.
If you’ve ever been a victim of cybercrime, the first step is to report it. A good place to start is the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center. File your report at this website.
You can also reach out to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at this website for identity theft-related incidents. Here’s to staying safe in an unsafe and fragile world of cyberism. And to never let someone else’s darkness steal your light.
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