Guy steals neighbor's WiFi for months, neighbor gets even by changing the display name after him: 'How could they possibly know that was me?'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Jun 4, 2025 4:00 PM EDT

Let's get this out of the way first: WiFi should be free. It's one of those fundamental services that everyone needs in order to connect with the world, no matter how old you are. At this point, it's not a luxury; it's a need. Perhaps there are still some dinosaurs out there who don't fully understand that the vast majority of individuals cannot pay their bills, do their jobs, complete their work, or keep in touch with family without a functional WiFi connection.

This, of course, is why when those connections suddenly fail out of nowhere, panic mode settles in. This is especially true when you're in the middle of something important, such as a meeting, an interview, or a class. When this happened to the author of this story in the middle of an important presentation, he impulsively connected to a neighbor's account that wasn't password protected. This would eventually backfire in surprising ways…

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    ← Wi-Fi Totally legit WiFi Connected, secured
    via Unsplash+ (Mika Baumeister)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • The best part about this story is that the pranks were amusing and all in jest. The neighbor figured out that someone was using his WiFi and managed to clap back by changing the display name to spook the author. The author, in turn, acknowledged the situation by gifting all his neighbors free coffee with the hopes that the culprit would reveal himself!

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    "I've been stealing my neighbor's WiFi for six months and then they renamed it after me"

    It started when my internet d d during a Zoom meeting. I was presenting quarterly reports and suddenly - frozen screen. Panic mode. I clicked on the WiFi icon
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    on my laptop and saw all these networks. "Pretty FlyForAWiFi" - no lock symbol next to it. I clicked it, and it connected right away.
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    I figured anyone who names their WiFi that has to be pretty chill. The meeting went fine. I meant to call my provider that afternoon,
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    but then I forgot. And their internet was actually faster than mine ever was - YouTube videos started instantly, no buffering wheel. My old connection always had that annoying delay.
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    Weeks went by. Then months. Every morning my laptop just connected automatically. I'd see that network name and smile - whoever this neighbor was, they had good taste in puns.
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    Last week I was checking my phone at the coffee shop when I noticed the WiFi list. PrettyFlyForAWiFi was gone. Instead: "OhaiCoffeeCat99."
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    I nearly dropped my latte. CoffeeCat99. That's what I use on some games, chats and so on. My stomach did this weird thing.
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    How could they possibly know that was me? I don't understand any of this computer stuff, but can WiFi track who you are? Can they see my screen? Oh god, can they see which apartment the signal goes to?
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    The worst part is they're clearly still offering it. "Ohai" - like "oh hi" specifically to CoffeeCat99. - Which means they know it's me and they're... fine with it? But also means they've been able to see... what exactly?
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    I don't even know which neighbor it is. Could be anyone in the building the signal's strong - enough from multiple floors.
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    I called my internet company that same day. Turns out my service had never been cancelled, just some wire issue they "forgot" to fix. It's working again now, but every time I open my laptop I see "OhaiCoffeeCat99" in the network list.
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    Yesterday I left nice coffee beans outside every door on my floor with sticky notes: "From a grateful neighbor :)"
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    If they figured out I'm CoffeeCat99, they'll probably figure out the coffee is from me. If not, at least everyone gets free coffee.
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    I still have no idea how they knew. Part of me wants to Google it, but honestly? They could have just turned on a password anytime in those six months. They didn't.
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    This morning I saw "OhaiCoffeeCat99" flash on my screen again when I opened my laptop. This time, I just smiled.
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    via Nimi Diffa

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    Dazzling-Attorne... 15h ago People like you are the reason why I gotta watch like 12 hours of information security training videos at work
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    J... . . 18h ago Edited 18h ago There used to be an old trick that thieves would use-they would get a pair of tickets to the movies, the opera, a show, something different and unusual, and then mail it
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    to an unsuspecting victim under the guise of having won a sweepstakes or random contest. Most people don't remember entering something like a small contest for movie tickets, especially if it's presented as something like
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    a random selection for having paid their Hulu bill on time or something random like that, so there would never be any questions asked, usually just the enticing opportunity for a free date night out, which usually most people would take advantage of.
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    Naturally, the thieves knew exactly where the homeowner couple would be, what time they would be gone, and how long they'd be gone for, so they'd case the house and burglarize it while the couple was out.
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    Now, I'm not saying that's what this is, more than likely they're just pretty fly a WiFi. (I've seen that same network name so many times before too lol) BUT-you remind me
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    of just how easy it is for most people to have no idea their traffic can be so easily monitored on a public WiFi.
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    To answer your question though, yes-you literally ran all of your network traffic through their gateway, it is not challenging (at all) for them to see pretty much every packet of data you passed along, both outgoing
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    uploads and incoming downloads. As demonstrated by their using your username in the new address name, they not only could but did.
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    Again, I'm not trying to imply malfeasance on the part of an anonymous host who happens to be your neighbor who happens to leave a gateway open and unprotected and who happens to have seen enough of your data to know
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    exactly what your usernames are. BUT. I am saying you may want to change some passwords, because if they were someone with less than honest intentions, they have
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    everything they need to make your life very, very, very, very unpleasant. Just a heads up!
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    Either way, hopefully it comes to nothing and your neighbor gets a little laugh every time they see your name on their connected devices list. lol
    via ClaudineDeCulam

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neighbors neighborhood neighborhood-drama bad neighbors neighborhood-stories petty revenge terrible neighbors wifi coffee funny apartment
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