However, having your Facebook account hacked is actually not that uncommon. There are many reasons why someone might want to gain access to your Facebook account. While stealing your personal information like your passwords and other credentials is one major motivation, forcing your Facebook account to share spam with your friends online is another.
5 Things To Do When Your Facebook Account Was Hacked
Click the three vertical dots next to the device login that you don't recognize, then Not You? or Log Out. This logs the intruder out of your account, at least temporarily. This limits the damage the intruder can do and allows you to continue regaining and securing control of your account.
"If you use the same password for multiple sites, it is best to change your passwords there as well," said Cosette Jarrett, a web-marketing specialist based in Salt Lake City. "If your password has been compromised on one site, chances are your accounts at other sites are in danger, too."
This is why password reuse is such a big problem. Fortunately, you can nip it in the bud for good by using one of the best password managers to generate strong, complex and unique passwords for each of your online accounts. You can also follow these tips to create a secure password.
You'll have to reset your password by clicking the Forgot Your Password link underneath the Facebook login. You will need to provide information to identify yourself, such as the email address you used to register with Facebook, the phone number associated with your account, your Facebook username, or your name and the name of one of your Facebook friends.
If ads or spam are being sent from your hacked account, you must report it as compromised, which you can do at this link (opens in new tab). After reporting, you will receive further instructions from Facebook to resolve the issue.
Once you have control of your account again, go to the same Settings menu where you checked for suspicious logins or changed your password, and click on the Apps option in the left-hand menu. Go through the list and check for any apps you did not add yourself, and click the X next to them to remove them. It's worth noting that if you don't use an app for some time, it will expire automatically.
Facebook itself offers a number of security tips (opens in new tab). You should use a unique password for Facebook, one that you do not use on any other sites; you should log out of Facebook when using a computer you share with other people; you should run the best antivirus software on your computer (or the best Mac antivirus software if your using an Apple computer); and you should be careful about the links you click on and the apps and files you download. You can also run a Security Checkup (opens in new tab) while logged in to your Facebook account.
Even if you have not been hacked, shoring up your Facebook security is a good idea. Since many Facebook account compromises are caused by external apps, consider limiting the number of apps you use in general, both on your computer and your smartphone.
Now, Facebook will help you retrieve your password. If you have access to an email account or phone number associated with your Facebook account, enter it to find your account. Once facebook finds your account, it will provide options to reset your password.
Facebook takes its security very seriously and would like to know if someone has access to your account. If your friends or family have been receiving spam messages from your facebook account, there is a high chance that the hacker is using your identity to misinform or gather personal info of your friends.
From Security and Login under settings, make sure you set up additional security measures including SMS and email alerts for unknown logins, two-factor authentication and pick 3-5 friends who can help you restore your account if it gets hacked.
Additionally, you should also make sure to install a secure antivirus solution and antimalware to keep your browser and computer safe from viruses, malware and cyber threats over the Internet. We hope our list of things to do when your Facebook Account is hacked was helpful to you.
When you stop using a social networking profile or website, it is a good idea to deactivate or delete your account. This will mean that your content is no longer visible online and should not be searchable online. It will also remove the risk of these accounts being used by others or hacked without you knowing.
On Twitter, you deactivate your account and it deletes permanently after 30 days. During this time your account is deactivated. Deactivation is not available on mobile devices and must be done by accessing twitter.com on the web.
You are only able to permanently delete your account on Snapchat. It takes 30 days for the deletion to take place, in which time your account will be deactivated.
During these 30 days, your friends will not be able to contact or interact with you on Snapchat. After 30 days, your account will be permanently deleted, including your friends, Snaps, Chats and Stories. Your username will no longer be available.
If you change your mind in the 30 days after deleting your account you can log back into Snapchat like you normally would using your username and password. This will reactivate your account and stop your account being deleted.
Should Facebook notice strange activity on your account, it may try to protect you and lock your account. You can take steps to unlock the account, but do it within a year. After that, the company might delete it.
The good news: You have more control than you might think when it comes to preventing your account from falling into the wrong hands, says Cleary. Take these steps to limit the chance that your account will be hacked.
After her Facebook account was hacked, Angela McNamara of Hamilton, Ontario, struggled to get help from the social network. Using its automated process to recover her account failed to work for her, says McNamara. Jalani Morgan for NPR hide caption
This has been happening to a lot of people lately, and the experience has left many users nearly as frustrated with the social network as they are with the hackers. In July, NPR received 19 emails from listeners complaining that their Facebook accounts had been hacked or disabled. People share similar tales of woe on Reddit forums and Twitter every day.
Instead, Facebook tells users to report hacked accounts through its website. The site instructs them to upload a copy of a driver's license or passport to prove their identities. But the people NPR spoke with said they had trouble with every step of this automated process and wish Facebook would offer a way to reach a real person.
"The very first concern, after realizing that I was getting hacked, is that these folks might be able to gain access to my business's bank account," said Ben Coleman in Fall River, Mass. "That would be a disaster."
Most of Facebook's automated account recovery options depend on the information you entered and validated when you set up your account. If you never completed the information or if it's outdated, chances are slim that you'll be able to regain access to your account.
Before you try to recover your account, check whether you are still logged into Facebook on any of your devices. This could be another browser or browser profile on your computer, your Facebook Android or iOS app, or a mobile browser, for example, your tablet or Kindle.
Proceed to Step 1a of our article describing what to do when your Facebook account gets hacked, where we explain how to change your Facebook password. At this point, also consider setting up two-factor authentication on Facebook.
If possible, use the internet connection and computer or phone from which you've frequently logged into your Facebook account before. If Facebook recognizes that network and device, you might be able to reset your password without additional verification. But first, you need to identify your account.
If you have access to another Facebook account, for example, that of a friend or family member, and you can access your account's profile page that way because you're Facebook friends, you can use this option. Note that it will require logging out of the other account.
Enter an email address or phone number you previously added to your Facebook account. When you search for a phone number, try it with or without your country code, e.g., 1, +1, or 001 for the US; all three versions should work. Even if it doesn't say so, you can also use your Facebook username.
Once you successfully managed to identify your account, you will see a summary of your profile. Before you proceed, carefully check if this really is your account and if you still have access to the email address or phone number listed. You may be able to choose between email or phone recovery.
Often, it's not possible to recover a Facebook account using the options above. Maybe you lost access to the email address and phone number you once added to your profile. Or maybe a hacker changed this information.
To start this process, click the link No longer have access to these? in the bottom-left of the reset password page (see above) to start the Facebook account recovery process. Facebook will ask you for a new email address or phone number, so that it can get in touch with you to help you recover your account. Click Continue to proceed.
This will actually start a similar process to the one outlined above. While you will use the same information to identify your account, in the following step, you will be able to use either a current or old Facebook password to recover your account.
Upload a JPEG (photo) of your ID, enter an email address or mobile phone number that is (or was) associated with the Facebook account you wish to recover, then click Send to submit the information. 2ff7e9595c
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