Why I'm Joining Aura

You never think it’s gonna happen to YOU - until it’s too late. 

So, what happened? 

I got hacked. And it was really bad. 

You know that sinking feeling? When you check your pockets - but your phone isn’t there? 

That was me a few months ago, when my iPhone was stolen while vacationing in Mexico.

Now keep in mind, this can happen to ANYONE, ANYWHERE - but it’s even more devastating abroad. 

AT&T in Mexico runs on a completely different system than the U.S. and therefore they were unable to assist me.

Imagine being in a foreign country with no phone.

• No access to emails, calls, text messages, social media, travel apps or finances. 
• No idea what’s happening with your personal information and sensitive data. 

I knew I was in serious trouble when I tried to access my Gmail from a different device and saw that my password was changed 5 hours ago.

I felt helpless and violated.

Panic. Fear. Anxiety. Paranoia. Depression. Disbelief. Shock. Anger. Frustration. Guilt. 

One enormous molotov cocktail of emotional distress - and the worst part was accepting there was nothing I could do about it. 

In an instant, I lost access to my entire life. 

The damage was severe. 

Here’s the result of my unlocked iPhone falling into the hands of a nefarious entity:

• They hacked my Gmail - changed my password and locked me out. 
• They hacked my Apple ID - changed my password and locked me out. 
• They hacked my Yahoo mail - changed my password and locked me out. 
• They copied my entire Google Drive to their Galaxy Note device. 
• They hacked my online banking and attempted to wire funds out. 
• They hacked my Binance.US account - stealing a grand total of $12,000. 

Shame on Binance.US

Imagine losing $12,000 to fraud and not being able to speak with customer support. 

Binance.US only offers email support via Zendesk. There is NO WAY TO SPEAK WITH A HUMAN if your account is compromised. 

Despite submitting clear evidence of the unauthorized account activity - it took 1 month just to receive a boilerplate template response. It was also a reminder of risks associated with trading cryptocurrencies. 

Binance.US made me feel like they don’t care. It was a cold, frustrating experience. 

This is why reliable customer support is so critical. As consumers, we often overlook the importance of customer support - but when fraud occurs, trust me, you don't wanna be emailing back and forth about it.

I would never do business again with any company that doesn’t offer phone based customer support. 

If you are reading this as a Binance.US customer - I’d suggest doing business elsewhere. 

Quick shoutout to Bank of America, Chase and TD Ameritrade. 

All my online banking and trading accounts were hacked. Bank of America, Chase and TD Ameritrade rejected the fraudulent activity and handled my issues with care. 

So, how did the thieves unlock my iPhone?

Unfortunately, it was already unlocked when they stole it. 

Just think about how often you use your phone - and then put it back in your pocket while it’s in an unlocked state. 

There is an iPhone device setting called "auto lock" which I had set to activate after 5 minutes of stalled screen time. This proved to be a costly mistake.

The thieves who stole my phone were professionals - waiting for the perfect moment to swipe it from my pocket without me noticing. 

You’re probably wondering:

• Weren’t you using Face ID? - Yes, but this is irrelevant once they obtain your phone in an unlocked state. 
• Weren’t you using 2FA? - Yes, but they were easily able to bypass 2FA by accessing the verification codes sent via SMS. 
• Weren’t you using a backup recovery email address? - Yes, but they hacked this too and locked me out. 
• Weren’t you using a secure password manager? - No. I saved all my passwords in Google Chrome, which is a HUGE MISTAKE. 
• Weren’t you able to use find my iPhone? - No. They locked me out of my Apple ID and changed the password. 

I recovered all my accounts, but it was too late. 

After rushing back to the U.S. from Mexico - I went directly to AT&T straight from the airport to buy a new phone so that I can receive text messages again. 

This was a critical step in recovering my accounts because I needed to bypass 2FA. 

After regaining access to my Gmail, Yahoo and Apple accounts, I began feverishly investigating - and this is what I found. 

Google activity log revealed everything. 

Your Google account has an activity log that shares an itemized list of actions that happen while you’re signed into Google. 

This is particularly useful for reverse engineering unauthorized activity on your account. 

First, the criminals searched for “password manager” in Spanish.

They also searched for “delete find my iPhone” in Spanish.  

An even more disturbing discovery, they used Google’s data restore tool to copy my entire Google Drive to their Samsung device. 

All of my personally identifiable information (PII) was exposed. 

Aside from usernames and passwords, all of my PII was revealed. 

My iPhone contains information like:

• Full name. 
• Home address. 
• Driver’s license. 
• Passport number. 
• Phone number. 
• Social security number. 
• Credit card numbers. 
• Email addresses. 
• Health insurance card. 

Identity theft suddenly became a real threat. 

This was a terrifying realization. Your entire life is stored in your phone - and once a criminal has access to all of your sensitive data, financial harm is guaranteed to occur.

Aside from $12,000 being stolen from my Binance.US account - I understood that I was now at serious risk for identity theft. 

What can happen if your identity is stolen? 

Here’s a list of things that criminals can do with your PII:

• Auction your PII on the dark web.
• Take out loans in your name. 
• Open car leases in your name. 
• Open bank accounts in your name. 
• Open credit card accounts in your name. 
• Steal your income tax refund. 
• Access your bank accounts and drain the funds. 
• Access your crypto accounts and drain the funds. 
• Access your investment accounts and drain the funds. 
• Access your social media accounts to scam your friends and family. 
• Access your airline accounts to buy flights using your miles. 
• Etc. Etc. Etc. The list goes on and on.

The average consumer has at least 90 online accounts. 

Our vulnerabilities online today are truly extraordinary. The FTC has cited a 73% year over year increase in identity theft - with the pandemic being a major catalyst for spikes in phishing, robocalls and social media scams. 

Identity theft and financial fraud is a growing problem that isn’t slowing down anytime soon - in fact, it’s only getting worse. You probably didn’t know it - but consumers lost a whopping $56B to identity fraud last year. 

The number of monthly searches surrounding the topic of identity theft is staggering. 

Here is an important passage from a recent Forbes write up featuring Aura:

“We live in a digital era where the average consumer spends 6+ hours online a day and has at least 90 accounts online. The sad reality is that many of these dangers are not obvious to the average consumer.”

I consider myself to be a security conscious and aware person - but if I was a victim, just imagine how easily this could happen to the people you love.

I’m talking about “less technically savvy” folks like your parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts - and even your CHILDREN. 

How sickening is that? Child identity theft is a real thing. Con artists are making a living off your kids. 

Aura is creating a safer internet for everyone. 

I’m proud to be joining Aura, a company making comprehensive digital security accessible to all. 

I have spent my entire marketing career promoting products like CRM software, VoIP technology, learning management systems, online courses, B2B sales webinars and virtual conferences - which are all useful in their own right. 

But never in my life have I felt so closely tied to a company's mission before. 

After getting hacked, I am more personally motivated than ever to put my marketing skills to use for a cause that truly matters - fighting back against cybercriminals who seek to destroy people’s lives with identity theft and financial fraud. 

Aura believes everyone deserves the peace of mind that their identity, online accounts and devices will remain safe and protected - this is a movement that I am extremely proud to be joining.

Defense is the best offense. Take these steps now. 

To avoid a situation like mine, here’s what I’d recommend doing immediately:

• Set your iPhone to auto-lock after 30 seconds of stalled screen use. 
• Don’t store any sensitive passwords in Google Chrome or Safari Keychain. 
• Use Google Authenticator or Okta for 2FA instead of SMS, when possible. 
• Use Face ID for as many online services as possible. 
• Choose a strong, unique password for every online service you use. 
• Ideally, use a secure password manager that streamlines everything. 
• Add a backup trusted phone number to your Apple account - this way, if your iPhone ever gets stolen and your Apple account is compromised, you can recover it quickly. 
• Always keep your OS updated to the most recent version. When you are prompted to update your software, always DO IT. 
• Use a secure device like the Nano Ledger X to store the bulk of your crypto assets. 
• Use a secure VPN - especially if you are browsing the web on public Wi-Fi.
• Be vigilant when it comes to monitoring your credit profile - if you find any unwanted inquiries, it may be a warning sign. 
• Regularly monitor your online banking statements and credit card activity for suspicious charges. 
• Stay aware of data breaches with online services that you use. For example, Robinhood was recently hacked, which impacted 7 million customers. 
• Try a solution like Aura for ultimate peace of mind - there’s a 30 day free trial which includes Antivirus and VPN for up to 10 devices, password manager, identity theft protection and financial fraud protection. 

Aura is the future.  

I appreciate everyone that's supported me throughout my marketing career grind.

If you read this far, I truly appreciate you.

This is going to be a true test - Aura is up against some seriously stiff competition, but if you know me, I'm a fierce competitor and won't back down without a fight.

Legacy providers in this space are solving yesterday's problems with fragmented, single point solutions that are reactionary in nature.

Aura is taking a fresh approach by offering a comprehensive, affordable and easy to use solution that focuses on preventive measures.

Most people roll their eyes after hearing about yet another "all-in-one" solution. And I agree, differentiation based on packaging and bundling is not enough - because competitors will soon be copying that strategy.

Where we will differentiate ourselves however, is with our brand. Our mission and values. Our content. Our white glove, concierge style approach to customer service. Our approach to educating the market. Telling real stories, like mine. Not in an exaggerated fear based way - but in an authentic, helpful and useful manner that enlightens consumers to the realm of possibility that exists on the internet with regard to identity theft and financial harm.

From the bottom of my heart, I just wanna thank everyone for supporting me on this journey.

Take care, and stay safe.

Yours truly,

G