20 hours ago
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BENICIA, Calif. (KGO) -- A North Bay pistillate who admits she's addicted to speechmaking whitethorn clasp a Kindle record: much than 16,000 ebooks. But erstwhile a hacker took implicit her Amazon account, each past 1 disappeared.
This spectator says her books are her life. It took her astir 20 years to physique the immense collection, speechmaking 2 oregon 3 books a day. Then abruptly her full room was gone. With obscurity other to turn, she contacted 7 On Your Side.
Judy Johnsen's Benicia book-filled location tells her story.
"I'm conscionable trying to benignant these by writer and title," Johnsen said. "I person each kinds of different books here."
Books are crammed connected shelves, piled connected tables, stuffed successful bags, stacked successful the hallway, boxed up successful the garage.
"I astir apt person six oregon 7 1000 carnal books," Johnsen said.
But her biggest postulation isn't connected the shelves. It's connected her Amazon Kindle -- much than 16,500 books.
"16,511 books connected my Kindle," Johnsen said.
A afloat room she tin clasp successful 1 hand, taking it anywhere, feeding a lifelong passion.
"I've been speechmaking since I was 3 years old. I was speechmaking Irving Wallace erstwhile I was 12. I work 'The Count of Monte Cristo, 'The Three Musketeers,' each the classics. I fell successful emotion with mysteries successful precocious school. I spent each my wealth connected books. Other teenage girls went to Barbie dolls. All my wealth went to books," Johnsen said.
She prefers the portable Kindle to her galore carnal books.
"This is simply a dense book," she says, lifting a 400page hardcover. Then, lifting her Kindle: "And this is 16,000 books."
"It goes with maine each spot I go. Doesn't substance if I'm sitting connected the beforehand porch, if I person a level tyre and person to hold for AAA, I person a publication with maine astatine each times," Johnsen said.
"I'll work 2 oregon 3 books a day. Yeah, it is an addiction, but I see it a steadfast addiction. The satellite of speechmaking is unlimited, it expands my horizons," Johnsen said.
Then, retired of nowhere, came the shock.
She got a connection from Amazon that said: "Per your request, we person changed the email connected your account."
But she did nary specified thing.
She opened her Kindle. All 16,000 of her beloved books were gone.
"'Devastated' is not a beardown capable word. " Johnsen said. "It took maine astir apt 18 years springiness oregon instrumentality to cod each the books, and successful the blink of an oculus they were mislaid to me, "I couldn't conceive however I could not ever work those books."
It turns retired a hacker had changed that email, locking her retired of her account, and locking successful each of her books.
"I don't cognize wherefore they would privation my 16,000 books. They took everything that is important to me. Why would you bash tha? I deliberation they conscionable wanted my recognition card," Johnsen said.
She was right. The thief utilized her relationship to bargain 2 Nintendo Switch video systems, which were shipped to Michigan.
And a tin of feline food, which the hacker sent to Johnsen -- perchance to trial her account.
Even that was useless -- her canine didn't privation feline food.
"What americium I going to do? How bash I capable my days?,'' Johnsen said. "Thank gosh I person Jerry and had to locomotion him each the time."
She called Amazon to study the hack. The institution kept sending a codification to reset her password. But that didn't assistance due to the fact that the codes went to the email connected the account... which was present the hacker's email.
So the thief got the reset, not Johnsen.
"I was petrified I was ne'er going to get my books back," she said.
Johnsen's writer friends sent her their latest carnal books to capable the void. She spent her days walking her small pug.
She could work her carnal books, but she'd work most. They're excessively dense to transportation around. And she wanted her Kindle, which fto her bid caller books successful an instant.
Frustrated and retired of options, she contacted 7 On Your Side.
"I ticker Channel 7 each the time, and I've seen your 7 On Your Side stories of helping people," Johnsen said.
7 On Your Side reached retired to Amazon. Within days, Johnsen got a call.
"She said, 'All your books are back,'" Johnsen said. "I was ecstatic."
Amazon unlocked her account, and each 16,000-plus books poured backmost into her Kindle.
"I was truthful excited. I was connected the telephone with my friends and household saying, 'Guess what? I got my books back. I got my books back,'" Johnsen said.
"Thank you truthful very, precise much, 7 On Your Side, for giving maine my beingness back, making maine the happiest idiosyncratic successful the satellite close now," Johnsen said.
Our acknowledgment to Amazon, which besides gave Judy a $100 acquisition paper for the trouble. Remember, erstwhile you bargain a Kindle ebook, you're truly buying a licence to work it, not ownership of the book. Rights vanish if you adjacent the account. Luckily, the hackers did not adjacent it connected her, and each her books came back.
Judith says she apt gave distant idiosyncratic accusation by clicking connected a nexus successful her email -- arsenic she gets galore invitations and letters from friends successful the literate world. Amazon did not accidental however a user could retrieve a hijacked account, erstwhile password resets don't help..
Take a look astatine much stories and videos by 7 On Your Side.
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