Having your Facebook account hacked can be a stressful and frustrating experience. Your personal information, photos, conversations, and connections are all stored on Facebook, so a hacker gaining access to your account can feel like a major invasion of privacy. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to secure your account and resolve the issue if you’ve been hacked.
How to Know if Your Facebook Account is Hacked
There are a few key signs that indicate your Facebook account may be compromised:
- You’re locked out of your account or get messages that your password is incorrect when trying to log in.
- Your profile picture, cover photo, or other account settings have been changed without your doing.
- Strange posts or messages have been shared from your account without your knowledge.
- Friends report getting odd messages or friend requests that appear to come from you.
- You notice new friends on your friends list that you did not add yourself.
If you notice any of these issues, it’s important to take action right away to secure your account.
How to Secure Your Hacked Facebook Account
Here are the steps to take if you believe your Facebook account has been compromised:
- Log out of all active sessions. Go to your Facebook settings and select “Security and Login.” Under “Where You’re Logged In,” click “See All.” Log out of any active sessions you don’t recognize.
- Change your password. Create a new, strong password that you don’t use for any other accounts. Make sure it includes uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
- Enable two-factor authentication. Two-factor adds an extra layer of security, requiring you to enter a code from your phone anytime you log in from a new device.
- Check privacy settings. Review all of your privacy settings to see if any have been changed without your knowledge. Restrict info visibility.
- Remove suspicious friends. Delete any friends you don’t know who may have been added by the hacker.
Taking these steps will revoke access by the hacker and make it much harder for your account to be compromised again in the future.
How to Find Out Who Hacked Your Facebook Account
Determining who hacked your Facebook account can be tricky, but here are some tips:
- Check the email address or phone number used for two-factor authentication – the hacker may have added theirs.
- Look at location data for unfamiliar logins to see if they match a location the hacker may have accessed your account from.
- See if the hacker changed your recovery email or phone number to one you don’t recognize.
- Look for messages to/from friends around the time of the hack to see if the hacker said anything that might reveal their identity.
- Check your login history and see if the hacker logged in from a device you don’t use.
While finding concrete proof of who hacked you can be difficult, these clues can help narrow it down. If you have a strong suspicion of who may have accessed your account, you can also report them to Facebook.
How to Prevent Your Facebook from Being Hacked Again
Here are some key tips to keep your Facebook account secure from future hacks:
- Use a strong, unique password – Consider using a password manager to generate and store secure passwords.
- Enable two-factor authentication – This adds a second layer of protection beyond just a password.
- Be wary of phishing scams – Don’t enter your login credentials if asked in an unsolicited email or text message.
- Only log in on secure networks – Avoid accessing your account on public WiFi networks that could be insecure.
- Limit app permissions – Don’t allow unfamiliar third-party apps full access to your account data.
- Watch out for Facebook messages – Unusual messages from friends could indicate your account is compromised.
- Set up login alerts – Facebook can notify you whenever your account is accessed from a new device.
- Review privacy settings – Restrict your profile visibility to enhance security.
Staying vigilant against threats and utilizing all of Facebook’s security features can help keep your account safe moving forward.
What to Do if Facebook is Not Helping You with a Hacked Account
In some cases, you may find that Facebook’s automated account recovery tools are not sufficient to help regain access to your hacked account. Here are some tips if you feel Facebook is not providing enough support:
- Try contacting Facebook support through different channels – email, chat support, calling support lines.
- Clearly explain that you are the legitimate account owner and have been locked out by a hacker.
- Provide as many details as possible to prove your identity – email, phone number, photos.
- Ask escalated tech support for help if frontline agents cannot assist.
- Check Facebook’s help pages for the latest troubleshooting tips.
- Submit forms/affidavits affirming your identity if requested by Facebook.
- Remain persistent and follow up if issues are not resolved promptly.
While Facebook does have robust account security, their systems are not foolproof. Keep trying to reach a human representative who can fully investigate and restore your access.
How to Recover Your Hacked Facebook Account if You Don’t Have Access
If you are locked entirely out of your hacked Facebook account, account recovery can be difficult but is still possible in many cases:
- Use Facebook’s account recovery process – Submit info to prove your identity.
- Submit a photo of your ID through the automated system or to Facebook support.
- Provide verification codes sent to your cell phone number or alternate recovery email.
- Answer security questions about personal info/activity on your account.
- Ask friends to report your account as hacked to prompt Facebook review.
- Seek help regaining access to your account’s registered email for recovery.
The key is providing as much verifiable information as possible to demonstrate to Facebook that you are the rightful account owner. Full access can typically be restored this way, though it may involve some effort.
How to Notify Facebook Friends and Family if Your Account is Hacked
Once you have secured your compromised account, an important next step is notifying friends, family, and other connections that it was hacked. Here are some ways to do this:
- Post a status update explaining your account was hacked but is now secure.
- Send private Facebook messages to close connections with more details and reassurance.
- Delete any odd posts or messages sent from your account while hacked.
- Respond to any concerned messages you received about unusual behavior.
- Change your password again if the hacker could have accessed it.
- Apologize for any spam or strange friend requests that were sent.
- Ask people to be vigilant about any future suspicious activity.
Being open about the hack and informing people will limit the damage and prevent confusion. Make it clear that your account is now under your control again.
How to Remove any Unknown Friends or Pages Added While Your Account was Hacked
A key step in cleaning up your Facebook account after being hacked is removing any friends, pages, or groups that were added or followed without your knowledge. Here is how to remove them:
- Check your friend list and remove any profiles you don’t know.
- Unlike or unfollow any pages you did not intentionally like.
- Leave any groups that you were added to while hacked.
- Delete messages/posts on your timeline from suspicious profiles.
- Check that you only follow your intended trusted sources.
- Adjust ad preferences if they were changed by the hacker.
- Reset privacy settings on your posts if they were made more public.
Taking the time to prune these unfamiliar additions will help secure your account and restore your intended profile. Be methodical in examining all recent activity for anything suspicious.
How to Deal with Embarrassing Posts Made While Your Account was Hacked
Having an account hacked can sometimes result in the hacker posting inflammatory, embarrassing, or offensive content. This can be upsetting and uncomfortable to deal with. Here are some tips for handling embarrassing posts:
- Promptly delete any inappropriate or vulgar posts made by the hacker.
- Post a status or send messages apologizing and noting that your account was compromised.
- Personally reach out via message to anyone especially affected or targeted.
- Change your password, secure your account, and restrict future posting privileges.
- Consider reporting serious threats or impersonation to Facebook or authorities.
- Learn from the experience and be more cautious about account security going forward.
While an embarrassing hack can be mortifying, try not to let it get you down too much. Focus on damage control, own up to friends that it happened, and take steps to prevent a repeat in the future.
How to File an FBI Report if You Believe Your Account was Illegally Hacked
If your Facebook account was hacked and you have reason to believe it was an intentional, malicious criminal act, you can file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Here is how:
- Gather information and evidence related to the hack – dates, methods, impacts.
- Go to the FBI’s IC3 website and click on File a Complaint.
- Fill out the online form with details describing the crime and your contact info.
- Include any evidence, account history, or other documentation you have.
- Submit the form and print a copy of the complaint for your records.
- The IC3 will review the issue and involve law enforcement if appropriate.
The FBI recommends filing an IC3 complaint as soon as possible after a suspected criminal cyber attack. Reporting hacking attempts helps authorities identify larger patterns and investigations.
How to Contact Facebook to Report Criminal Activity or Abusive Behavior Related to Your Account
If you believe your account was hacked specifically to harass or extort you, engage in fraud, or otherwise conduct criminal behavior, you can file a report directly with Facebook as well:
- Go to Facebook’s Help Center and search for “report criminal account activity.”
- Select the article with instructions on reporting criminal activity.
- Follow the steps to complete Facebook’s Crime Report Form.
- Provide detailed information on the criminal behavior or harassment.
- Include screenshots or other evidence you may have.
- Submit the form to Facebook’s investigative team.
- Facebook will review the issue and take action if violations of their policies occurred.
Notifying Facebook of criminal misuse of accounts helps them strengthen protections and prevent harm across their platform. Be thorough in describing what happened.
Top Tips to Keep Your Facebook Account Secure
Here is a summary of key tips to boost Facebook account security:
| Security Tip | How It Helps |
|---|---|
| Use a strong, unique password | Makes it harder to guess your password |
| Enable two-factor authentication | Adds a second layer beyond just a password |
| Review privacy settings | Limits account visibility and access |
| Watch out for phishing scams | Prevents you from entering your password unsafely |
| Log out of unused sessions | Removes access by unknown logged in devices |
| Only install trusted apps | Avoids granting permissions to malicious apps |
| Use login alerts | Notifies you of unrecognized logins |
Following these best practices makes your Facebook account significantly more secure and can prevent many hacking issues.
Key Takeaways on Facebook Account Hacking
Here are some key concluding points on dealing with a hacked Facebook account:
- Act quickly if you notice suspicious account activity to secure it.
- Change your password, revoke sessions, and turn on two-factor authentication.
- Removing unknown friends/followers cleans up your compromised profile.
- Notifying connections reassures them the issue is resolved.
- Learn from each incident and improve your security protections.
- Persistently engage Facebook support if automated fixes are insufficient.
- With vigilance and proper precautions, hacking risks can be minimized.
No account is completely immune from hacking, but staying on top of your security makes a big difference. Combine smart precautions with quick response to violations to keep your Facebook profile safe.
Conclusion
Having your Facebook account hacked can be a jarring experience, but fortunately there are ways to get back control and prevent it from happening again. Securing and recovering a compromised account takes persistence and good security habits, but is very possible in most cases. Be vigilant day-to-day, respond rapidly if an issue occurs, and involve Facebook support or law enforcement if necessary to help resolve the matter. With proper precautions, smart online behavior, and quick response to suspicious activity, you can protect your Facebook profile and recover smoothly from any potential issues in the future.