Having your Facebook account hacked can be a frustrating and stressful experience. Your personal information, photos, conversations, and connections are all stored on Facebook, so a hacked account can feel like a major invasion of privacy. Fortunately, Facebook provides ways to regain control of your account if it gets hacked.
How to Know Your Facebook Account Has Been Hacked
Here are some signs that your Facebook account may have been compromised:
- You can’t log in to your account. When you try to log in, you get an error message that your password is incorrect.
- Your profile information has been changed without your knowledge. This includes changes to your profile photo, cover photo, biographical info, or contact information.
- You see posts or messages on your timeline that you didn’t create. The hacker may be posting spam or malicious links on your profile.
- Your friends see messages from your account that you didn’t send. The hacker has access to your conversations and can message your friends.
- New friends have been added without your knowledge. The hacker added their own contacts to your friends list.
If you notice any of these signs, your Facebook account may be compromised. Take action right away to secure it.
How Facebook Accounts Get Hacked
There are a few common ways that hackers can gain access to your Facebook account:
- Phishing: The hacker sends you a fraudulent email or message that looks like it’s from Facebook. If you click on any links or download attachments, malware can infect your device and steal your login credentials.
- Password Guessing: The hacker runs software that guesses common or weak passwords to try to access your account. Using a strong, unique password can prevent this.
- Data Breaches: If any online services you use suffer a data breach where passwords are stolen, your Facebook account could be vulnerable if you reuse passwords across accounts.
- Keylogging Malware: Malware or spyware tracks the keystrokes you enter on your device and captures your Facebook username and password.
- Social Engineering: The hacker contacts Facebook pretending to be you and gets your password reset. Or they fool your friends into giving up info that helps them access your account.
Steps to Contact Facebook About a Hacked Account
If you believe your Facebook account has been taken over, here are the steps to regain access:
- Log out of all active Facebook sessions: From another internet-connected device that you own, go to Facebook and log out of all active sessions. This kicks the hacker out of your account on any devices they’re logged into.
- Change your Facebook password: Strongly consider changing your password to a completely new, random combination of letters, numbers and symbols that can’t easily be guessed.
- Turn on login approvals: In your Facebook security settings, enable login approvals or two-factor authentication. This requires you to enter a special security code from your phone each time someone tries to access your account from a new device.
- Review account information and settings: Look over all your personal info, privacy and security settings, apps, and connected accounts and make sure nothing appears out of the ordinary. Update anything that was changed by the hacker.
- Report the hacked account to Facebook: Use Facebook’s account recovery options to notify them you were hacked. Facebook can help secure and restore your account.
Use Facebook’s Account Recovery and Hacked Account Form
The best way to directly contact Facebook for a compromised account is to use their account recovery options:
- Go to the Facebook account recovery page and select “My Account Was Hacked” from the options.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to recover and secure your account through an automated process.
- If you cannot regain access this way, click “My Account Was Hacked” again on the account recovery page to fill out a hacked account form.
- Submit details about proof of ownership, account information, and anything unusual you’ve noticed in the account.
- Facebook’s security team will review your report and contact you with updates or instructions to recover your account.
The automated account recovery steps can quickly help restore access in some hacking cases. Filling out the hacked account form escalates the issue to Facebook’s security team for a deeper investigation.
Other Facebook Support Options for Hacked Accounts
If you cannot use the account recovery tools, here are some other options to contact Facebook support:
- Report the hacked account using Facebook’s hacked account reporting form. Provide details on anything unusual with your account.
- Use the general contact form to explain your situation and attach any relevant screenshots or evidence.
- If someone contacts you pretending to be from Facebook, report the communication as a scam or imposter to Facebook.
You may need to provide proof of identity to regain access to your account through these support channels. Gather any info, like photos you’re tagged in or screenshots showing you as the original account holder.
Tips for Securing Your Facebook Account
Once you recover your hacked Facebook account, take steps to better secure it going forward:
- Turn on login approvals or two-factor authentication.
- Create a new, complex password that’s unique from other accounts.
- Be skeptical of unsolicited emails or messages asking you to click strange links or download files.
- Avoid using public, unprotected WiFi networks that could expose your info.
- Monitor your account’s security settings and review new posts or friends for anything suspicious.
- Run antivirus software on your devices and keep apps, browsers, and operating systems up to date.
Recover Quickly from a Hacked Facebook Account
Having your Facebook account hacked can be stressful, but the damage is usually limited if you act quickly to secure it. Use Facebook’s automated account recovery options as a first step. If that doesn’t work, report your compromised account to Facebook through a hacked account form or other direct support options. With Facebook’s help, you can typically recover and restore full access to your account.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my Facebook account was hacked?
Signs your Facebook was hacked include not being able to log in, profile changes you didn’t make, unauthorized posts or messages, added friends you don’t know, or your friends reporting suspicious messages they received from your account.
What should I do if my Facebook gets hacked?
If your Facebook is hacked, log out of all sessions, change your password, turn on login approvals, review account settings, and report the hacked account to Facebook through their account recovery tools or direct support contacts.
How can I recover my hacked Facebook account?
To recover your hacked Facebook account, first try Facebook’s automated account recovery options. If that doesn’t work, fill out their hacked account form or use their general contact form to explain your situation and provide proof of ownership.
How do I contact Facebook to get my hacked account back?
You can contact Facebook directly about your hacked account by using their account recovery and hacked account reporting tools. You can also use Facebook’s general contact form or report a scam if someone pretends to be from Facebook.
What details do I need to provide Facebook to recover a hacked account?
To help Facebook recover your hacked account, provide info like your name, email or phone number on the account, date of birth, screenshots of unusual activity, and any proof you are the original account holder.
Conclusion
Having your Facebook account hacked can be stressful, but you can take steps to recover it quickly. Enable account security protections, watch for suspicious activity, and contact Facebook support right away in case of a compromise. With vigilance and Facebook’s help, you can restore full access to your account and avoid major disruption from hacking incidents.