A non-profit in Manhattan fostering puppies and small dogs is recovering from a huge dilemma after their Facebook and PayPal accounts were hacked.
“I can’t think of a bigger violation, and I feel sad that there’s this kind of evil out there in the world,” said the owner of Tiny Tails K-9 Rescue in Manhattan, Diana Stafford.
She says running Tiny Tails has been a dream, but on June 20, Stafford faced a nightmare she never saw coming.
“All of our social media was hacked,” said Stafford. "Within a matter of minutes, he had us completely locked out of all the pages.”
The hacker, who appears to be based out of Nigeria, cleaned out Tiny Tails' PayPal accounts and began using Facebook to scam followers of Tiny Tails, making up stories, and asking for money.
“The rescue has taken a pretty big hit,” said Stafford. “This is going to set us back about ten years.”
As for the three puppies Stafford is currently fostering, she says, “They would already be in their homes if it weren’t for this.”
After three long weeks of feeling hopeless, she regained access to her accounts.
“It was Senator Tester’s office that got it done,” said Stafford.
She hopes this will be a lesson for folks, especially since Tiny Tails isn’t the only rescue that’s been violated by the hacker.
“4 Paws Rescue in Cardwell was hacked, Happy Tails in Missoula was hacked, and there was an attempt on Quail Wings, which is out of Cut Bank,” said Stafford.
Stafford says the hacker came to her over Facebook messenger, posing as a long-time friend seeking help to get back into their own account.
“When you’re in this line of work, you fix things and help,” said Stafford. “I don’t know if I’ll ever fully be able to trust again.”
Donations can be made to Tiny Tails K-9 Rescue, PO Box 257, Manhattan, 59741-0257
Adoption applications are available on the Tiny Tails website.
