BOSQUE COUNTY, Texas — Nonprofit Bosque Animal Rescue Kennels (BARK) still doesn't have access to their Facebook account after it was hacked on July 5.
6 News talked with a member of BARK to find out how they are coping with losing one of their main platforms and how the effort has been to get it back in their possession.
"It was a shock and it's been a headache to say the least," said Jenny Luper, the kennel director for BARK. "We've had probably over 200 people report the post and report our page, and we've all gotten the same response back stating that it's not against community guidelines."
Luper said they are doing everything in their power to get control of the page back as it is vital to their services and work for animals and the community.
"We're hoping that we can get it back because it's very important to getting adoptions and getting our name there and our dogs' faces out there," Luper explained.
BARK still has access to their Instagram, TikTok and another Facebook page that they will be using until they get their main one back. However, Luper said the process of getting it back hasn't been easy.
"It's heartbreaking to know that they're probably going to put a sense of distrust in any sort of donation request that we post even when we do get our Facebook page back," said Luper. "We have people working on it, but it's just a slow movement. With Facebook it's super easy for them to hack in, but it is almost impossible for us to get our stuff back."
"It's heartbreaking," Luper added. "We work really hard for these animals and for the people in the community, and to know that they're generally targeting those organizations and getting smart about it is sad."
Luper isn't 100 percent sure how the hacking happened, however, she has a theory that it stemmed from a phishing email BARK received that was designed to look like Petfinder.
It's an example of why Cyber Security Strategist Paul Keener with GuidePoint Security recommends double checking when making donations or clicking on links on social media.
"I've come to realize more so that there's no pass for human kindness, and a willingness to help and that's what attackers actually take advantage of," Keener said. "That's what social engineering, which is the phishing and SMS attacks and email, that's what that actually takes advantage of."
Keener said there are more scams and hackers present on social media in general, not just Facebook.
"Where people aggregate and that's where they get the majority of their information, where they interact kind of socially, that's where criminals are going to be," Keener explained.
If you do fall victim to an online scam, especially involving money, Keener has some recommendations. First, report it to your bank, then the organization you were supporting and also file an internet crime complaint for the FBI to track down the scammers.
"It gives the FBI intelligence on the criminal gangs and criminal rings and so what it does is you may have something that's happening in Texas that's maybe something that's happening in California, and it may be a much broader issue, and so by putting that information in there, it gives the FBI the pieces of the puzzle to maybe put cuffs on," Keener said.
The scam plaguing BARK has also been discovered across the country for other animal shelters and rescue group Facebook accounts.
More from 6 News: