to reclaim your account and your get your Facebook life back in order.
1. Attempt to Reclaim your Account -If your account has been hacked, your best bet is to visit the Facebook Help Center and attempt to reclaim your account. For more information about keeping your account secure, visit this Facebook Faq.
2. Change your Passwords – The hacker obviously gained access to your email address and password somehow, so you need to make sure you change the password to your email address immediately. If you use the same password to access other accounts, especially banking, financial institutions, and other email addresses, etc., then make sure to change those passwords immediately as well. Assume the hacker gained complete access to the email account you use to access Facebook. Carefully assess the impact of the compromise and try to do as much damage control as possible. If you need more information on creating a secure password, then see our guide: The Top Ten Commandments of Password Protection.
3. Scan your Computer - It is possible that the hacker gained entry to your computer through a virus or other malware. Make sure you have a current and up-to-date anit-virus program installed on your computer, and do a thorough scan of your system. If you accessed your Facebook account from another computer, then let the owner of that computer know of the attack. They will need to scan their machine as well. It is also a good idea to check your Facebook Account for Rogue Applications and Rogue Browser Extensions and remove anything suspicious. If you find and remove any questionable Facebook apps or extensions, then change your Facebook password AGAIN.
4. Notify your Friends & Family – Getting hacked can be an embarrassing and humiliating experience, but don’t let this discourage you from notifying your friends and family of the incident. The hacker may use your account to send them malicious links and to phish for their personal information as well. By alerting them immediately, you can help them avoid the same situation you have found yourself in.
Lastly, take a deep breath and try not to panic! It may take a little bit of time and effort to correct the situation, but quick action on your part can help to minimize the damage caused by the incident and help get things back to normal.
As a precautionary measure, we recommend setting up your ‘Trusted Contacts.’This will allow Facebook friends you have preselected to assist you in reclaiming a hacked account.
Recommended Resources
BitDefender Safego is a Facebook application you can install that will scan your News Feed and help keep you safe from scams on Facebook.
PRIVATE WiFi® is a Personal VPN that encrypts everything you send and receive. Don’t access Facebook from a public WiFi hotspot without it.
IDrive® Secure, fast and simple online backup – 5G Free!
DoNotTrackMe®
is a used by millions of people worldwide for free to block web
tracking and spam email. Advanced Premium features ($5/mo.) allow you to
protect more private information by creating one-time use, private
credit cards when you shop online.