Have you ever been had by somebody?

Very likely you have.

I trusted someone I had just met to do something, paid in advance, and lost $100.

When I realized that I had been taken, I felt foolish for my stupidity.

But you can also be taken, not by blatant stupidity but by unawareness of hi-tech thievery.

If you use the internet to buy anything, play games, or even just to communicate, you probably have a Microsoft account.

A Microsoft account is a single hub for many computer websites.

If a thief can get in that hub, he can get in almost every website you use.

My Microsoft account was recently hacked.

The hacker changed my password, locked me out, got into my email, and proceeded to buy stuff from Ebay and Skype using my credit cards in PayPal.

We quickly saw what was happening, reported the fraud, canceled 2 credit cards and began changing all our passwords.

The problem is not uncommon and is so huge that Microsoft will take weeks to resolve each case.

Needless to say, this caused many hours of stress and work to reestablish my ability to function normally on the internet.

So here is what I recommend:

• Do not trust the internet, increase your level of security.

• Do not use the same, simple easy-to-remember password for years for a lot of websites (I did!).

• Make your passwords complicated like KE*yj&37V using upper & lower case letters, numbers, and symbols.

• Even though it is inconvenient, write down these passwords—do not save them on the computer.

• Set up 2-step security wherever possible (receive a text message to verify you are logging in).

• Check your bank statements frequently to look for things you did not buy.

I am not saying don’t trust anyone, but you cannot trust the internet.

Treat it like fire, with cautious respect.

It can do a lot of good, but it can burn you badly.

Next: Don’t trust a scammer

Dan Williams is the senior adult pastor at Lexington Baptist Church.