Northport woman’s Facebook hijacked for puppy scam, bringing strangers to her door

Jayne Dietl hadn’t used Facebook since 2019 after her husband died. But just days ago she started getting texts from people about a post on her page offering puppies.

News 12 Staff

Jan 19, 2023, 3:40 AM

Updated 689 days ago

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A Northport woman says someone took control of her Facebook page to start a scam that has comprimsed her family’s security
Jayne Dietl hadn’t used Facebook since 2019 after her husband died. But just days ago she started getting texts from people about a post on her page offering puppies.
“I was getting texts from people who know me telling me, ‘You're selling beautiful puppies. I want them, I want puppies.’”
The messages were referring to a post on Dietl’s Facebook page that offered up puppies for a price.
Dietl says the texts kept coming, then phone calls and even people showing up at her door after sending money for the puppies and wondering where they were.
Dietl says that’s when she realized it was a scam and called the police in front of someone who knocked on her door.
“I said, let's call the police, give them a report and you can stand there in front of me. I'm not selling these puppies,” she says.
While the police continue their investigation, Dietl says she’s outraged over Facebook as she now has no control over her account.
Dietl says she found a phone number online that claimed was for reporting Facebook fraud. However, she says no one answered and her phone number was compromised shortly after.
“After that call, my phone number was placed on that site for some reason. My cell phone number was put out on Facebook,” she says.
Dietl says she continues to get nowhere with Facebook about getting the post about the puppies for sale taken down.
There's no way that Facebook is helping at all,” she says.
The longer people can see the post, Dietl says it's putting her family in danger because she has no idea who might show up at her door.
“These hackers know there's no help for you or anybody else,” she says.
Dietl’s friends have been reporting the page to Facebook. Enough of them were able to get a response from Facebook that said in part, “...ultimately we decided not to take the post down.”