Is someone using your Facebook account without your knowledge, or worse, you can’t even log in? No doubt you’ve been hacked! Rest assured, the social network has solutions to give you back control.
Your Facebook profile picture has mysteriously changed, posts you never wrote appear on your wall, your friends receive strange messages from you, or, worse yet, your account password no longer works, what is preventing you from connecting to the network? No doubt: you have been hacked! Someone is using your account without your consent, to spy on you, impersonate you, rip off your contacts, or just harm you.
Of course, this is the kind of traumatic experience, especially if you are a heavy Facebook user. Because an intruder having access to your account can recover a lot of confidential information (private messages, photos, email addresses, phone numbers, etc.) and use it in various ways. Like in a burglary.
However, rest assured: if the situation is serious, it is not hopeless. And by reacting quickly, you can limit the damage. Your case is neither new nor isolated, Facebook has long put in place procedures to recover a hacked account. However, be careful not to confuse hacking and deactivation: Facebook can indeed deactivate an account by displaying a very clear message from the login page. This blocking occurs in the event of non-compliance with the conditions of use. And the reactivation procedure differs from that for a hacked account (to learn more about this subject and the measures to be taken, see our fact sheet Reactivating an account deactivated by Facebook).
Several solutions are available to you in the event of a hack on Facebook, depending on whether or not you still have access to your account. The procedures can be carried out in the same way with a computer or a smartphone that belongs to you. A few tips before looking at them in detail. First, from the moment you initiate an account recovery procedure, remember to look in the file Spam Where Unwanted of your email, because the emails that Facebook will send you may end up there and you would remain blocked. Then, the windows that will appear may vary slightly depending on your web browser or your connection location – whether you are connecting at home with your usual computer or from a friend’s house, for example. Finally, once the procedure is complete, remember to clean your computer or phone with an antivirus. Indeed, this kind of mishap can result from an infection by a malicious software (a malware), in particular a spyware (a spyware). You can use the antivirus installed by default on your device (especially Windows Defender, on a PC) and if it doesn’t find anything or if you don’t have one, run a scan with a free online tool like Secuser.com Where F-Secure. No need to risk another negligent hack!
There are several signs that someone is using your Facebook account. Here is a non-exhaustive list. Note that hacking can be extremely discreet, even almost undetectable, if it is espionage in particular.
- Your profile picture has been changed, but not by you.
- Comments and photos you did not submit are posted on your behalf on your wall or other pages.
- Your Facebook friends receive unusual messages from you (to entice them to go to questionable sites or even send money, for example) that you never sent.
- Photos that you do not know have been posted on your wall.
- A computer, phone, or location that you don’t recognize is in the list of connections to your Facebook account.
- You receive emails from Facebook indicating that you have changed your password or changed your email address, without you being the initiator of the request.
- You can no longer log into your account with your usual password.
How to recover a hacked Facebook account that is still accessible?
If you can still log into your Facebook account, a simple change of password should be enough to regain control.
- Log into your Facebook account and let your friends know about the spoofing by posting a message on your wall or sending them all a private message.
- Once the alert is given, with your web browser and go to the special page Facebook Hacked
- In the form that appears, check the box in front of I found a post, message, or event that I didn’t create, then click To continue.
- From there, Facebook will guide you through changing your password and protecting your account. Click on the button To start up.
- A new page is displayed to show you the different steps of the procedure. Click on To continue.
- A password change form is displayed. Type your usual password in the field Current, then enter a new password in the following two fields, New and To confirm. Choose a strong sesame, which you don’t use anywhere else, then click To continue.
- A new window will open inviting you to verify your account connections. Click on To continue.
- A new window is displayed with the list of current connections. It lists all the computers and mobile devices currently connected to your Facebook account, with their location and the application used last time. To prevent the hacker from staying logged in, it is better to shut everything down. Click on Disconnect from all sessions.
- Now you are in principle the only one who can access your account.
How to recover inaccessible hacked Facebook account?
If you can’t log in with your usual password or email address, at least one of these items has been changed. You have to start an account recovery procedure. It is more complex than resetting the password, because you will have to prove that you are the true owner of the account. But you will be guided step by step by Facebook. Usually, the issue can be resolved within 24 to 48 hours, while Facebook teams review your case.
- With your usual web browser, go to Facebook account recovery page.
- In the form that appears, indicate the email address associated in principle with your Facebook account – the one you normally use, even if it has changed because it is forever attached to your account – or your mobile phone number, if you provided it.
- A new page is displayed, offering to send yourself a security code by email to reset your password.
- If the e-mail address indicated still corresponds to one of your addresses, click on the button To continue. On the other hand, if you do not know this address – which happens when it has been modified by the hacker -, click on the link You no longer have access to these elements?
- A new window appears. Click on Login with password.
- Facebook starts by asking you for your account password. Of course, since it was changed by the hacker, you cannot give the current password. But you can use with an old password: this will work if you are on a computer or on an internet connection that you already used to log in, with Facebook keeping information about devices and IP addresses.
- If you have previously defined trusted contacts, you can use them in the next step. Click on Show my trusted contacts and enter the full name of one of them. You will then access a set of instructions including a special link. This link contains a recovery code that only your trusted contacts can access. They will help you regain access to your account. To know everything on the subject, see our practical sheet Securing your Facebook account with trusted contacts.
- If you do not have a trusted contact, Facebook initiates a procedure to prove your identity. In particular, you must provide your old email address, a new email address never associated with your account, a copy of an official ID, a photo of yourself holding this ID in your hand and another mobile phone number. than the one already associated with your account.
- Access to your account will be blocked for 24 or 48 hours, the time for the Facebook teams to analyze these elements and rule on your case. If the verdict is favorable – that is to say if Facebook has been able to ascertain that you are indeed the legitimate owner of the hacked account – you will be informed by email and you will regain control of your account.