Husband’s Ex broke into my account. What can I do?

Question

I am currently married to a very loving husband. Three years ago he ended his relationship with his baby mother.

They lived together for ten years and during that time they had two sons. My husband was granted custody of the two boys because their mother had run off and abandoned them several times during the period that they lived together. She was irresponsible and left all the responsibility on my husband. I met my husband a year and a half ago in church and we got married within that period. I am a God faring Christian woman in my mid-thirties and I prayed for a husband. My husband is the answer to my prayers.

His baby mother found out we got married and somehow broke into my account on a very popular social network .She pretended to be me and posted some very unflattering comments. The things that were said were damaging to my reputation and I was reprimanded by my boss. As soon as I saw the comments I removed them but the damage was already done. Is there anything I can do?

Good Christian Wife

St. Mary

Response

The practice by some to break into the accounts of others in an attempt to defame them is a rapidly growing phenomenon. In the famous ‘Vybz Kartel’ case the Facebook account of a witness, Det. Sergeant Patrick Linton was hacked into and derogatory comments posted with the aim of creating the impression that the Detective had a personal grudge against the entertainer.

If you are certain that his baby mother is the one who posted these comments you can report it to the police. If the evidence is sufficient she could possibly be charged with unauthorized access to computer data under Section 3 (1) of the Cybercrimes Act which states:

‘A person who knowingly obtains for himself or another person, any unauthorized access to any program or data held in a computer commits an offence.’

Your husband’s baby mother could also be sued in Civil Court for Defamation which is not limited to the spoken word but also exists in the written form. It is evident that the words were damaging to your reputation and that you suffered from the posting of these defamatory statements.

There has been a significant increase in the number of Cyber Crimes being committed in Jamaica. Some of the more prevalent crimes include electronic fraud and unlawful possession of a device often committed by scammers.

There is a growing need for public awareness as it relates to the commission of cybercrimes. Persons need to exercise the maximum security measures when using their ATM cards. Some simple strategies include using any magnetic strip such as your health card to open the doors at the ATM machines and reducing the use of the ATM card to purchase goods and services.

I sincerely wish you all the best and I know you have already changed your password!

Yours Truly,

Janna-Joe Mcleod-Delattibudiere

I am an Attorney-at-Law based in St. Ann. I specialize  in Criminal and Civil Litigation, Personal Injury, Family Law, Conveyancing and Estates.

Feel free to contact me at [email protected] for any legal queries or call me at 917-7858 or 419-1913.

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