August 18, 2022 11.33 am This story is over 33 months old

‘Scammer who stole my Facebook profile is telling people I lost a son to cancer’

She is struggling to sleep and feels ‘sick to the stomach’
Lincoln cleaner Gemma says she feels sickened after a hacker took over her account to scam others in her name

A Lincoln woman says she feels ‘sick to her stomach’ after her Facebook profile was stolen by a brazen scammer.

Not only did the alleged hacker tell her they would return her profile if she sent them money, but they instantly set about attempting to con others online using her identity and fake stories about losing a son to cancer.

Gemma Wowk, a 30-year-old cleaner who lives in the city centre, wants to warn others after she was kicked out of her account on the social media site.

Setting up a new profile to message the old one on August 8, she was surprised to find they quickly replied.

“Do you want your account back?”, they asked her. “Pay £30.”

“What are you going to do?”, Gemma asked. “Count 1-10 and I will block you,” they replied, followed by a sinister comment: “Ask your sister.”

She wants to warn others of the impersonator

Gemma told The Lincolnite she reported the hacker to Facebook and told the imposter she would be contacting authorities, a threat to which the scam artist retorted: “LOL, I fear nobody.”

Facebook has not yet responded to Gemma’s complaints, and she is yet to hear back from Lincolnshire Police after making a report to them.

Now, she wants to share her story to warn others of the ‘fake’ account and others like it.

“They are now scamming people by telling them they are selling a PlayStation5.”

One post falsely claims Gemma had lost a son to cancer:

Fake posts began to appear about a PS5

Gemma and her sister are attempting to warn others of fake posts they see online by posting comments, but she has been blocked by the account.

“I feel sick to my stomach and so upset that someone would do this”, she told reporters.

Gemma’s old account, which has been taken over by a scammer

“They messaged one of my friends selling some product and I had no idea. They are selling a ps5 in the selling sites too.

“The thing is I’m such a caring person and I wouldn’t do anything like this. The thought of someone scamming people in my name… I don’t sleep properly anymore.”

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