My Identity has been stolen on this website!!!!

[USMA84DAB]

This morning I opened AH to view a classified ad and spotted a PM. Upon opening it up, I found a 2 page exchange of messages with a new member regarding the sale of a Swarovski scope. He was querying me with great concern regarding where the scope had gone. I have never owned a single Swarovski scope and knew nothing whatsoever of this "sale" until a few moments ago. I have notified the support staff of the site that some bad actor has stolen my name here and asked them to resolve the issue. I have no idea of what else to do other than to alert the membership via this posting.

 

[grand veneur]

Recently, it looked like someone had logged in with my name, even though I was sure I did logged out when I left the Forum before.

One have to change our password regularly, which I did right away.

 

[sgt_zim]

Not much you can do other than change your password here. Most likely scenario is your computer is infected with malware and your credentials were stolen that way. While possible, it's unlikely that this site was compromised.

Or, if you use the same password for multiple websites, it's possible the password was compromised in some other place. Still, they had to know you had an account here and what your logon name is. This points to your computer/phone as the source of the compromise.

If you're re-using passwords, you really should think about using a password vault - KeePass is probably the most secure, but it isn't portable across your PC/phone/tablet. 1Password is probably the best cloud solution, 100% portable, I have access to all my accounts on both my PC as well as my cell phone.

 

[jomw10]

Unfortunately it’s getting to the point that passwords are not enough. Two factor authentication should be needed for posting on classified. At least a little more secure than just password

 

[AfricaHunting.com]

@USMA84DAB, I took over your account for some time in order to see what was happening. You can now again reset your password at the following link https://www.africahunting.com/lost-password/ to take control of your member';s account. If you need further assistance please feel free to reach out to me via the PM system.

Check your pms to contact anyone who may have been contacted through the system with your account.

@USMA84DAB it seems that you are a member on numerous other platform using the same username, I would highly recommend you to change the password for all of the other communities that you are a part of.



EXTREMELY IMPORTANT NOTICE

I want to be very clear, unequivocally his account was not hacked on AH. The most likely cause of what has transpired lately is that users/members are being phished into sharing the password or maybe they are using weak or common passwords, even on multiple websites/platforms. It is also a possibility that other websites where members use the same password and even perhaps the same username could have been hacked (read below about the "mother of all leaks" that occurred in June 2025). Sometimes this information is also sold on the dark web as scammers know that people often use the same or similar passwords for many accounts.

This has occurred multiple times now on the site, but this is happening all over on the internet and the answer is simple, I encourage and recommend members to change their passwords to something unique and strong by using a combination of multiple numbers, letters and characters.

I have said it before but it bears repeating for everyone safety and security everywhere online, I whole heartedly recommend to use different passwords for all of your accounts and a good way to do that is to use a password manager like 1Password and there are others like it. This was one of the best decisions I've made security and time management wise. If you do online banking such a tool is a necessity, you will not regret it but if you don't you might. Things can happen very quickly in this digital landscape where we are all buying, selling and banking. It may save you a lot of grief, perhaps money and make your life so much easier...

Password Manager & Extended Access Management | 1Password | 1Password

More than a password manager and leader in Extended Access Management. Secure all sign-ins to every application from any device with 1Password.

1password.com

Here is some information that you all should read:
Recent Facebook-related breaches include a large-scale leak of 16 billion login credentials in June 2025, which exposed passwords and put users at risk of fraud and identity theft from malware-infected files.

The June 2025 Password Leak
What Happened: An enormous leak of 16 billion login credentials, including passwords, exposed users of Facebook, Google, Apple, and other platforms.
Cause: Researchers found the breach originated from malware, which targets users who download corrupted files and have weak password habits.
Impact: This "mother of all leaks" has put millions at risk of fraud and identity theft, particularly in developing nations with less robust cybersecurity.
What to Do: Users are advised to change their passwords and switch from passwords to passkeys for greater security.


USE UNIQUE AND DIFFICULT PASSWORDS FOR EVERY ACCOUNT... THERE ARE SO MANY SCAMS OUT THERE.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Just an FYI and Sgt. Zim can chime in on this but I use Norton password generator for all my logins.

Here's an example: *re1oPu-r#fo_UyuWric