Ransomware attacks have the power to make global headlines and cause losses in the millions.
But they can also operate on a much smaller scale — and be no less devastating.
That’s certainly the case for Warwick Levy, owner-operator of online clothing brand Lonely Kids Club, who in late 2021 lost his Instagram account and an estimated $10,000 worth of revenue.
Warwick was a savvy social media user. With around 20,000 followers, it was a key part of his business.
“It’s very important, like the majority of our traffic is actually through Facebook, Instagram, so it’s a really big part of the brand,” he told me in episode five of the Anatomy of a Scam podcast.
But sales were only part of the picture for Warwick.
He was also passionate about using his social media accounts to create community.
“I use them to communicate with my audience, but it’s a little different to a usual clothing brand in that I do a lot of content that’s just sort of myself talking, or my face is featured a lot, and it’s also a bit personal where I connect to the audience quite a lot,” he said.
Ironically, it was this care for his customers that baited the trap.
Warwick was engaged by a new online profile. He thought this was just another follower. For nine months, they went back and forth. And then they asked for help.
Claiming they had lost their phone, they needed a verification code, and asked if it…
