Roots Email Got Hacked!

Okay folks, so if you didn't already hear about it, Roots Farm email got hacked and phony emails got sent out in our name saying I was in the UK and had a sick relative and got mugged and needed money sent Western Union to me. IT ISN'T TRUE. I'm here in the U.S. of A. and no family of mine is elsewhere, nor did I get mugged, nor do I need you to send me $2000. I mean, I always take donations, but it's not an emergency and I'm not in dire need. My sincerest apologies. Jeeze louise.

The rat bastards who did this deed also read old emails and specifically addressed folks on my behalf requesting money. And they created an account called rootsfarms@hotmail to which replies were getting sent. And they locked me out of the account so I couldn't do anything about it.

The result of all this is that a lot of stress was created for both us here on the farm and our friends and customers. I REALLY hope no one sent money anywhere for my sake. And, any emails that anyone tried to send us in the last two days have disappeared into the unknown.

WHAT TO DO:

• If you got a phony email from us, please check and make sure that rootsfarms@ hotmail --that's farms with an s-- is not where your replies are now going. You can block any incoming messages from this sender through the security options that your mail provider offers.
• DO NOT send any money to us via Western Union or anywhere else. In fact, always verify this kind of request by calling friends of the person possibly in need and making sure the info is valid. Try contacting through varied channels--phone, email, alternate email, facebook, call friends, whatever. See if the reports check out before money leaves your account.
  
• NEVER, EVER, EVER give out your or anyone else's password via email. If you get mail from "hotmail" or "windows" that looks official and says they're going to close your account if you don't provide the info, IT'S A LIE. Hotmail, windows, and all those folks will NEVER ask you for your info via email. Don't do it! It's a phishing scam. Save yourself, your co-workers, your friends, and your customers a headache and disregard this crap.
• If you do make this mistake, IMMEDIATELY get back to your account and change your password. If you're locked out already, go to your provider and verify your id and request a password change through the channels they have available for dealing with these issues. Do this ASAP! My gratitude goes out to windows live and hotmail for getting us back in action in a timely manner.
  
• If you tried to contact us via email in the last two days, try again. I can now receive and reply to your messages.
  
• Please be patient. We're trying to manage the damage while in the midst of our first week of harvests, so things are a little hectic around here.

Again, my sincerest apologies to anyone who got the phony crap and worried, or who has been trying to reach us unsuccessfully, or who just had to deal with the fallout. Bummer. Lots of rocks on the office side of the road this year. But on the positive side, the fields are looking GREAT! More food coming in Friday . . .