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Compromised or hacked social media accounts can cause all sorts of trouble and a variety of consequences. It’s important to understand what to do next if your account has been compromised.

It’s important to take immediate steps to lock down the account and potentially kick out any hackers who have wrongfully taken control. Be sure to check the “More Resources” section below to find site-specific guidance on how to regain control of and secure your account. 

 

These are critical, must-do steps that should be done in the following order: 

  1. If you can access your account, log in and look for any unauthorized activity. 
  2. Notify the site that holds your account about your account being compromised. They may ask for evidence (such as unauthorized activity). A list of help pages from some of the top sites is available in our “More Resources” section below.
  3. If the account is connected to an online payment system, check for any suspicious activity and remove or cancel any credit cards associated with the account.
  4. If you suspect identity theft, freeze or lock your credit. Read our page on recovering from identity theft.

Now that you’ve taken the first critical steps to protect yourself, it’s time to investigate and learn the extent of any damage you and others may have suffered from your social media account being compromised. 

Because each situation can be different at this stage, the following steps are not exhaustive or outlined in any particular order:

  • Ensure that your other online accounts are not compromised. If the compromised social media account is linked to other online accounts, log out of those linked accounts and log back in once your compromised account is back in your control.
    • (For example, if your Facebook account was compromised, and is used to sign in to a separate website or service, log out of the separate service and log back in only when your Facebook account is back in your control.)
  • If the account that was compromised shares a password with any of your other online accounts, check those accounts first, because the hacker may try other popular accounts using the same login information to gain another foothold into your information. 
  • Check the website https://haveibeenpwned.com/ to see if any of your online accounts have been involved in prior data breaches, hacks, or cyber-attacks. This trusted website is run by a team of cybersecurity experts who have tracked data theft for years. 
  • If the account is connected to an online payment system, check for any suspicious activity.  
  • If you are able to access your account, warn others in your network about the breach and that a scammer may try to impersonate you.
  • If the compromised account includes private information about others (such as information shared in direct messages), notify those whose information was possibly accessed.

The following steps will better protect you against account compromise and many other forms of online scams. That’s because these steps aren’t isolated to single accounts but relate to overall online security. If you put several of these into practice, you’ll be safer day-to-day. Here are some of the most important ways to stay safe in the future: 

  • Use a password manager and create and store unique passwords for each individual online account. Repeat passwords are one of the biggest vulnerabilities in account compromise and hacking. 
  • Set up the defense mechanism known as multi-factor authentication, or MFA for short. To learn more about MFA and how to use it, read our FAQ.
    • Speaking of MFA, never share the one-time passcodes that are sent to your phone or email inbox with anyone, and remember that no legitimate company will ever ask you to tell them the one-time passcode over the phone or in a customer support chat. 
  • Never share login credentials with anyone.
  • Never click on unknown links or respond to unsolicited text or email messages.

Setting up multi-factor authentication

 

The following resources can help guide you in scam education, response, and reporting:

 

Social media help pages

 

Recognizing and preventing future incidents

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Warn others (report a scam)

Good job taking control of the situation! We recommend taking a few moments to report the scam to the BBB, which can help us fight fraud. If you haven’t already, please consider reporting the incident you encountered to BBB Scam TrackerSM, our prevention and reporting platform.

 

Reporting the scam to the proper channels can help law enforcement shut down scam operations that prey on others; BBB shares its data with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Scam submissions are published on BBB Scam TrackerSM, which enables the public to search the reports and determine whether they are being targeted. BBB Scam TrackerSM reports are also used to publish timely research and consumer education resources. Report your scam incident to BBB Scam TrackerSM. 

Avoid future scams (learn how)

Research indicates that possessing knowledge about scams and scam tactics can help people spot and avoid scams that will inevitably target them. The unfortunate truth is that scammers will always try to steal data, money, and important information from people.

 

Even when scammers are caught, others will replace them. The best defense, then, is to understand what a scam looks like and how to respond. Protect yourself and your loved ones by learning more about scam types and tactics by visiting BBB’s Scam Prevention Guide.