Theft of my Blog iTEAMchicago
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I began a blog called iTEAMchicago in January 2010 to discuss the program I directed for Golden Apple Foundation, a STEM teacher professional development program called STEM Institute. I retired in 2017, and May 2017 was the last posting I did for the blog. Sometime in 2018, someone got into my account and changed the email, password and administrator. That someone appears to be Indonesian. He (I’m assuming) has the following url: https://gingerbarbie.wordpress.com
I discovered the theft when I tried to log in the usual way from my home computer and nothing worked. I found that Dashlane had saved a totally different password and the above url. So I have a password but it doesn’t connect to my username or email. I have no idea how that could have happened as no one else uses this computer. And why would anyone want to take a blog about STEM education?
Unfortunately, it was a free account, and set up so long ago that I don’t have any of the three forms required to prove ownership.
However, I can provide other kinds of verification, if anyone is willing to take the time to help me. I am desperate to regain control of my blog.
I paid for a new account so that I would have access to support. To be honest, this has me a bit frightened.
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Hello there, I’ve flagged this thread for Staff attention and input so they can help you sort the confusion, but it looks like iteamchicago.wordpress.com is up and running.
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Thanks for flagging this for staff, Jennifer. The blog is still there but because someone changed the email address and password, I can’t get in as an administrator. So it’s effectively locked for me, and I have a new post to enter.
I’m not even sure I am on as an administrator. I tried to do a password change, but no emails came to my email account, so it went to whomever stole it and locked me out.
I hope I can regain access.
Thanks again for your help. -
Hi pennylundquist –
I will do my best to help. What’s the site address, or URL, of the site involved?
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Thank you, Liz!
I’m sick about this.
Here is the site:
https://iteamchicago.wordpress.comI blogged from 2010 until 2017. I wanted to add a new post, a book review I thought would help teachers, and I found that my username, email, and password no longer worked. I never changed them … had always stayed logged in.
Oddly, in my Dashlane, my url had been replaced with a different one that took me to an Indonesian site. Figured that out with Google translate.
If you need anything further, please let me know.
Penny -
Hi Penny –
When I go to https://iteamchicago.wordpress.com/ in my browser it loads the site that you have described. There’s no redirection to any other sites.
There’s no indication of the site being hacked or email address being changed.
What I’ll do is send a note to the email address on the account. Hopefully it will reach you. Try checking all of the email addresses that you’ve used before. Make sure you also check the spam folders of those email addresses.
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Thank you, Liz. I tried sending it to my email addresses. One problem is that when I retired I lost my work email. I don’t think that was the one on the account. I’m pretty sure it was the brontealcott address, but just in case, I worked for Golden Apple at the time so it was (email visible only to moderators and staff).
I’ll check everything I can.
Penny
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Hi, Liz,
Nothing. Truth is I only had 4 emails, two of which I never used. I had the bronte one and the lundquist one through my work. And I checked spam folders. I think that wordpress email I found in my Dashlane account is somehow connected to this.There were two. The gingerbarbie one and a second that no longer leads to a site. potilo something. It’s a mystery.
Thanks for your help.
Penny -
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Hi Penny, you’re welcome to upload a screenshot to wordpress.com/media . Staff can check on it for you there.
I also hid your email address “hints” — you can go ahead and type out the actual email addresses, and our software will automatically hide them from public view so that only staff can see them. Noting the address on file hasn’t changed (so it’s unlikely it was ever hacked). Noting it’s also different from any of the address hints you’ve listed. Are there any other addresses you can check?
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Thanks, Liz. Would sargesdaughter22 ring a bell? That’s a very, very old one.
I’ll upload the screen shot. I’ll see about checking that one. Haven’t thought about it for years.
I’ve only ever used gmail, ymail, and my golden apple account.
Thanks again for sticking with me.
Penny -
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I checked (email visible only to moderators and staff) … no luck
Here’s my complete list:
(email visible only to moderators and staff) … used for just about everything
(email visible only to moderators and staff) … used for work … I retired and no longer have it.
(email visible only to moderators and staff) … recent and never used much
(email visible only to moderators and staff) … very old and no longer have earthlink
(email visible only to moderators and staff) … never really used this one
(email visible only to moderators and staff) … barely usedI checked all those I am still able to check. If what you have is unlike any of these then it isn’t me.
Thank you. -
Hi there,
I checked all those I am still able to check. If what you have is unlike any of these then it isn’t me.
The email on file doesn’t exactly match any of the addresses you provided, but I don’t believe that the site has been hacked. I would make sure that you have found all the emails that you have created. There was a duplicate on the email list you provided – was that supposed to two different emails and one was misspelled, or just a duplicate?
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Lol, I can’t see them anymore … did you take a look at the screen shot I posted?
That was saved by Dashlane and it’s (email visible only to moderators and staff) … the email I have used for years for almost everything.Turns out my wow email was (email visible only to moderators and staff). Last time I used that was 2014.
Once again:
(email visible only to moderators and staff) ((email visible only to moderators and staff)) … main email for many years.
(email visible only to moderators and staff)
(email visible only to moderators and staff)
(email visible only to moderators and staff) (not active for many years)
I now use (email visible only to moderators and staff) for professional emails
(email visible only to moderators and staff) (use only for WOW communications now)
(email visible only to moderators and staff)I’m going to upload another screenshot from my keychain. I hadn’t looked at it before. It shows the wordpress logins and includes the gingerbarbie email (never mine) and an additional one emmaportilo (this is not mine either). Is it possible that someone … either gingerbarie or emmaportilo doctored my email information?
Can you do anything with IP addresses to verify? I usually did my blog post from my home computer. Occasionally the office one, which I no longer have access to. Or can I establish who I am in some other way …
I’m wracking my brain trying to figure out why I no longer have access to the administrator’s panel. The only other thing is that there was a blog I occasionally wrote for set up by a friend … Symphonic Notes, I think it was called. I had access to that through the Admin panel and it was set up before iTEAMchicago.
Thanks again for your help.
Penny -
Hi @pennylundquist, actually one of the addresses you mentioned this time is correct. Please check each of those addresses now and let us know if you need more help!
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I got it!!!!!!!!! Thank you so very, very much for the time you spent with me.
I’m still puzzled by the emmaportilo and gingerbarbie addresses that wound up in my Dashlane, but that isn’t essential.
I’m thrilled to have access again to my iTEAMchicago account.
Thank you!!
Penny -
One more question … is it possible to merge the two blogs I write?
Tojourneywell.com and iTEAMchicago?
If not, I understand.
Thanks again for all your help.
Penny -
Hi Penny, so glad you’ve got it now!
And yes you can merge sites, though there are a few caveats you’ll want to consider. Mind if we open a new thread for the new topic, and mark this one as resolved?
You can start a new thread here: https://en.forums.wordpress.com/?new=1
And add this tag, without quotes: “modlook”
Cheers!
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