A florist’s social media has told how hackers deleted her Instagram account destroying the livelihood she spent six years building from scratch. Gold Coast (Australia) florist Chelsea Shiels (pictured) turned her hobby into a living when she started combining shells, flowers and gemstones to make elegant goddess-style crowns. But earlier this month her dream career turned into a nightmare when she discovered her business social media account had been hacked. She also had $420 stolen from her PayPal account by accessing her Facebook payment details, but it was the damage to her business’ social media presence that was most stinging. The hackers took control of her account and changed her profile picture to terrorist organisation ISIS’ black-and-white flag, causing Facebook to delete her account. ‘I got a message from my cousin which said, ‘I think you’ve been hacked’. She sent me a photo of something that had just come up as my profile photo,’ she told 9News. She reported the hack to the Australian Federal Police – who told her the thieves may have used the ISIS flag to get the account deleted as quickly as possible. Her Instagram account, which was linked to her Facebook, was also deleted. It was only after days of messaging the social media giants, as well an online petition and support from well-known blogger Constance Hall, that her accounts were restored. The floral designer turned her hobby into a living when she started combining shells, flowers and gemstones to make an elegant goddess-style crown […]
Florist’s Instagram account vanished – destroying her livelihood in seconds
