My husband, 42, di:ed unexpectedly a month ago. Yesterday, his phone chimed. It was a notification for a charge on his card. The payment was for a hotel room, made just minutes earlier. I quickly drove to that hotel address. On the way, a text popped on his phone. It said: “I’m already at the hotel, waiting for you.” I started sweating; my hands began to shake as I was driving.

Then, suddenly, his phone rang. I froze when I heard a woman’s voice say, “Where are you, love? I’ve been waiting for you for an hour!” I screamed, asking who she was. She sounded confused and said, “Isn’t this Jake’s phone?”

But my husband’s name wasn’t Jake. His name was Daniel…

It turns out, that Jake was a 23-year-old who had hacked into my late husband’s phone and taken all his personal information—including his credit card. I contacted the authorities, and they were able to fix everything.

But for a brief moment, I let myself believe the impossible. That maybe, somehow… my husband was still alive.