St Helens woman hacked on Instagram; promotes online security

Nicola Pope from St Helens experienced panic after discovering her Instagram account had been hacked. Criminals changed her password and used her account to falsely claim she had invested in Bitcoin, prompting her to report the incident to Action Fraud. This incident coincided with a national day of action organized by the National Economic Crime Centre, emphasizing the importance of Two-Step Verification (2SV) to protect online accounts. Merseyside Police highlighted the growing sophistication of cybercriminals targeting social media and email accounts. Pope eventually regained access to her account but noted the emotional toll and inconvenience of the situation. Police recommend using strong, unique passwords and enabling 2SV to enhance online security and reduce the risk of cybercrime.