Police investigating as Westmoreland judge says hacker has taken control of private Facebook page

People reporting their Facebook pages were hacked is a relatively common occurrence. But the victims usually aren’t Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court judges. Judge Scott Mears said his account was compromised over the weekend. A scammer made a post on the judge’s page, claiming his uncle had recently entered an assisted living facility, and that he was selling his personal items. The false post claimed the judge’s uncle suffers from dementia and solicited money for items including vehicles, appliances, exercise equipment and furniture. State police is investigating, the judge said. Requests made directly to Meta, the owners of Facebook, to remove the post has been unsuccessful, he said. “This story is fraudulent and the items listed do not exist,” Mears said in a statement. “I am urging residents to remain vigilant against these types of attacks and to report them to law enforcement immediately. Should anyone receive a friend request from me or a direct message soliciting interest in purchasing items, please do not accept the request and report all such outreach attempts to Meta directly.” Mears has been blocked from access to his Facebook page and can’t delete the posts, several of which are soliciting money. “This crime is
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