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Woman who deactivated her social media spent months reclaiming her identity
She lost access to her Facebook, Instagram and Gmail in a number of months
The hacker had used her social media to gain access to her bank accounts
She reported the matter to police and security organisations who could not help

By Paula Ahillon For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 01:10 EST, 29 November 2018 | Updated: 01:10 EST, 29 November 2018

e-mail

A woman who decided to deactivate all her social media had to undergo an 18-month battle to reclaim her identity.

Brisbane woman Louise, who did not disclose her surname for privacy purposes, lost access to her Facebook, Instagram and Gmail account within months.

'That's when I realised that someone is on my case, they are hacking everything,' said the IT professional.

She was a few months into her Facebook break when her partner noticed her name was online.

'He clicked on my profile and said, 'I thought your Facebook was deactivated',' Louise told 9News.

A woman who deactivated all her social media did not foresee she would have to fight a hacker to reclaim her identity

Brisbane woman Louise was months into her Facebook break when her partner noticed her name was online

Louise, who works as an IT professional, attempted to log into her Facebook but found out her password was changed.

She then strangely lost access to her Instagram account and received a notification saying her Gmail password had been changed.

The hackers used the information from her social media accounts to gain access to her bank and Centrelink accounts.

She suspended her bank account when she was alerted of suspicious activity going on with her online access.

The address on her Centrelink account was changed to one she wasn't aware of.

The IT professional reported the matter to Facebook several times and even sent through photos of her ID to prove her case but never received a response.

When Louise decided to message the hacker through her partner's account, she noticed the message was read within hours.

The IT professional's bank accounts were also hacked after her hacker gained access to ALL her social media

'The moment that I saw it had been read I just felt so horrified and helpess,' she said.

'This person was seeing everything – clear copies of my bank details, cards, visa and passport details, copies of my drivers' licence, Medicare.'

She reported the matter to Queensland Police who said they weren't able to help.

Louise also reported to Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network (ACORN) and ID CARE but weren't able to assist her either.

9News contacted Facebook and helped Louise gain control over her social media within the span of 48 hours.

A Facebook spokesperson said in a statement the company was 'committed to safeguarding the integrity' of their services and 'work hard to protect' their community from hackers.

Security expert Troy Hunt warned social media users deactivated accounts were just as prone to being hacked as normal accounts.