Solved! all electronics in home hacked maybe?

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Dec 5, 2018
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If this is duplicate please excuse. Cannot find my original. Something is happening in the house. House phone appears hacked, service is through router or modem, messages on base include "headset too far from base" no headset, "check phone line" . Phone is in and out of service. Not able to call from home or receive calls. Callers calling in receive out of order message, disconnected messages, this number blocked from calling. All intermittent. Phone works, 15 minutes later does not work, messages change to incoming callers. Then phone works again. Provider for satellite, home phone and internet has not been very helpful. First call to them - macafee had locked the laptop and the cell phone was locked. Original thought was a virus. Found the ping of death on router, provider came out and changed router, modem and satellite receiver. The tv would become unresponsive to the remote, parental controls were changing and not allowing any channels to be watched and it appeared movies etc were being watched that were not by anyone in household. Original cellphone has been replaced twice, both replacements are not locked and unusable. IT person said it appears google email account has been stolen and all accounts associated with are locked. Home security system has been remotely turned on and off and it is not supposed to be hackable. We are not savvy of these things and neither cell provider nor the phone, satellite and internet have been very helpful. In fact the last response was to just remove it all from the house. Any help or ideas?
 
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This is your first and only post here.
Absolutely everything is hackable given enough time and resources.
1st step is to watch yourself, even online. For example, you get on facebook and someone is spreading one of those '10 things about me" type posts. Those are used to build profiles of you. In one they might get your month of birth, another your year... you see how this grows?
Once they have enough info on you then your accounts are often easy to hack or have reset. {Did you really just use your real name? LoL}

Next up is your passwords, They need to be strong and complex; but you can use a system to create several. I suggest you memorize these and use clues to help you know which one to use. Like a clue in my scheme might be...

popatim

Splendid
Moderator
This is your first and only post here.
Absolutely everything is hackable given enough time and resources.
1st step is to watch yourself, even online. For example, you get on facebook and someone is spreading one of those '10 things about me" type posts. Those are used to build profiles of you. In one they might get your month of birth, another your year... you see how this grows?
Once they have enough info on you then your accounts are often easy to hack or have reset. {Did you really just use your real name? LoL}

Next up is your passwords, They need to be strong and complex; but you can use a system to create several. I suggest you memorize these and use clues to help you know which one to use. Like a clue in my scheme might be: my#1son. Hackers would think this would be my first son. Nope its just to remind me of an old movie series I grew up with: Charlie Chan. Well Charlie Chan's #1 son was Lee so my password might be: m1L33(han#1
Then I write the only the clue down. even if I forget the password with my system only I (I hope) can figure it out the password. "My" means one thing, ### means another, as does XXX and yyy which is different the what xxx or YYY means. LoL

As for the security system, it has remote capability so again, it might be easy to impersonate you to get your login reset and do what they want with it. The same goes for your Cellphone carrier. Often they only ask for your name and the password... Get that rectified with a very strong password, 2 factor if it's available.

You might want to look into installing a hidden camera or three. Mine text pictures to my cellphone of any thing that sets off their motion sensor during hours when no one is home.

I see you have all in one service, phone, tv & Internet and not a good provider at that. I made that mistake once too. Hey the internet just went out. Guess what? You can't call to complain and you can't watch tv to pass the time till it gets fixed... (no I didn't have a cellphone back then)

Have you contacted the authorities? Locked down your credit & bank accounts? Freeze your credit rating with the major players like Experian so no one can open new cards in your name?
 
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punkncat

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Apr 3, 2018
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so, your internet, phone, cell, all is hacked, but you can still post here?

I smell trolling.


If your registered email with accounts is compromised then you have a major problem.

 
Dec 5, 2018
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have called the sheriff and talked to an FBI agent. With no verifiable proof they have not been helpful. This is not happening in my home where this computer is. It is happening in a family members home. Credit accounts have been locked. Yes we do believe the google email account has been stolen and all associated accounts. It is all hard to believe but it continues to happen for almost 2 months now. One of the biggest issues is when a tech is there or law enforcement the issue will resolve itself so they say ok all is well and leave. The computer shows not hacking, the tv works, the home phone works. Cell phones have been factory reset and then become locked again. It is as though someone has the pins or passwords and have changed all so we do not have access. I dont know about these things. Can someone remotely scan all devices in your home to steal the information? Your tips about strong passwords and facebook use are all good info but there is not way to reset any passwords when all access is gone and the only one who would use facebook in the house has not access to it now. Thanks for the information. We are ready to remove all from the house but then if we dont know the problem wont it just come back.
 

punkncat

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Apr 3, 2018
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The only other helpful information that I could offer is to ask...is this individual going through a bad divorce, etc?

Is it possible that the phones and computer on site have keyloggers or other "spy" programs installed?


By way of recommendation...I would likely take the computer to a professional and have it wiped and OS re-installed. I would also have them purchase a good virus solution immediately (during) the professional reformat. Take phones to provider and have them done similarly. Talk to the cell provider on site to change all pins, passwords and likely ask them to suspend online access to the account.
I would have them actually physically go to the service provider for your internet/tv/etc. and ask them the same.
Discontinue use of the possibly compromised email.

Might suggest having them take computer, after reformat to a different location temporarily to set up new email, etc. If there are personal files on the computer I would likely ask the pro to scan them and add them to an external drive for now.

Tell those companies that for the time being the only authorized access is in person with paper billing, and would even get a PO box for a moment on that as well.

Good luck.
 
Dec 5, 2018
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thank you. We have been keeping the laptop off and out of the house except for when the IT guy came out. It seems to us that whatever this is is tracking and seems to know where they are (at home or not) and when someone is there to help. Sounds crazy I know. Is it possible to use the modem and home phone line to do things like robo calls etc? Oh and no, there is no divorce. A family member that lived there passed away this year and the people who live there are older. The house is isolated with no close neighbors.
 


I don't think you are being hacked, sounds like normal connection issues and someone not very familiar with technology and what can cause what issues. I suggest you find a family member or friend to go over the house network setup and check how things work, as well as go over your email accounts and make sure your settings and passwords are set to be seen only by you, meaning no odd emails or phone numbers in your recovery list. No one would bother messing with your TV so you can't watch channels. If they hack your account they want to use your email to send out more spam, they want to sneak into your bank to steal money. They would try to hide what they do, not mess with your house setup. Older people not familiar with technology points to issues with the use of things not hacking. Typing in wrong passwords, unplugging things that should not be, hitting wrong buttons, changing random settings, etc...

Unless these people are very rich, no one would waste time monitoring the house to check for people going there to look at things. If this was a US Senator working on some secret trade deal, maybe. Some random older people in the middle of no-where, no way.
 
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