It’s embarrassing to open your Facebook account and find out it’s been hacked. However, it is extremely dangerous to continue using your account without realizing that someone else is accessing it. Hackers can access your Facebook account and misuse the information you provide.
To avoid such dangerous situations, you should pay attention to signs that your account has been hacked. Follow our tips on how to find a hacked Facebook account and what you can do to stop it.
Has your Facebook account been hacked?
Figuring out when an account has been hacked is usually not a problem. People on your friends list may receive suspicious messages containing fraudulent links or advertisements asking you to buy something. Like most scams, hackers can start sending malware links from your email account, changing your profile information, changing your email address, phone number and Facebook password.
Fortunately, there are signs that someone else has access to your Facebook account. Here’s how to check if a scammer has taken over your social media accounts.
Check your job posting on Facebook
If you’re worried that your account has been hacked, check your Facebook activity log first. To do this, follow these steps:
- Open Facebook on your smartphone (Android or iPhone) or desktop (Windows or Mac).
- On your phone, go to Settings & privacy > Settings > Password & security > Where I’m logged in.
- On your desktop, go to Settings & Privacy > Activity Log.
There you will see a list of all active Facebook sessions, i.e. devices currently logged into your account. If an unknown entry is listed, it can be entered. To avoid losing important information, select Exit next to an active session that is not listed. This will terminate active sessions and prevent attempts to hack your device.
Check your Facebook payment history
Another way to see if someone has hacked your account is to check your Facebook purchase history. If you have made a purchase or paid for an ad on Facebook and your card information is stored on the site, thieves can access it.
Even if you don’t find any new suspicious activity using the above methods, we still recommend that you double-check that your credit card information is safe for various eyes. You can do this in both mobile and desktop apps.
On your phone, go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Payments. Select Facebook Pay and note the payment link for fraudulent purchases.
On your computer, go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Facebook Pay. In the Transactions tab, select View All to view all purchases listed in your account. You can also check your ad payments in the same area to make sure there is nothing suspicious.
Other signs to view imported accounts
There are many other ways to check if your account has been hacked.
- Your name, date of birth, hometown, or other personal information on your Facebook profile has changed.
- Someone sent a friend request on your behalf to an unknown Facebook user
- Someone sent you a message from your account without your knowledge.
- Updates you haven’t posted yet will appear on your timeline.
- I received an email from Facebook asking me to change my password or a login warning that I didn’t know.
These are all signs of a hacker attacking your Facebook profile. If you see one or more of these, you should secure your account immediately and report the hacking attempt to Facebook.
Report a hacking attempt on Facebook
If your suspicions are confirmed and the security of your Facebook account has been compromised, you must notify Facebook immediately. If you do this in time, you won’t have to go through the difficult account recovery process. Facebook cares about keeping its site safe for everyone, and is usually quick to respond to these warnings.
One way to contact Facebook is through Help and Support. You can do it on your smartphone and computer. To send a report to Facebook, open the menu in the upper right corner of the screen and follow the path Help & Support > Report a bug.
When you submit a report, you can monitor complaint updates via Facebook notifications or view them in your support inbox.
Another way to report a problem with your Facebook account is to use the official Facebook Twitter account. If you are stuck with your Facebook account, you can use this method.
How to prevent your Facebook account from being hacked
If you’re concerned about the security of your Facebook account and cyber security in general, there are things you can do ahead of time.
Change your security and privacy settings on Facebook. Facebook’s security and privacy settings help make Facebook more secure. To get started, go to Settings & privacy > Settings > Security & sign-in. Focus on two areas: two-factor authentication and additional security options. If you enable both, you’ll be alerted if someone tries to access your account from a device that’s not yours.
Use a password manager. Even if you think you already use strong passwords on Facebook, it’s best to use a password manager to keep sensitive personal information safe. Password managers generate unique passwords for the Facebook and other social media accounts you use and store them in encrypted software so you don’t have to remember them.
Use a VPN to browse Facebook. Using a VPN means adding an extra layer of security to your browsing activity. Because a VPN hides your true location, it reduces the possibility of your online activity being tracked. However, keep in mind that using a VPN while browsing Facebook and checking activity logs can reveal your activity as a hacking attempt.
Be careful when browsing the Internet and Facebook. It goes without saying that you should be careful, especially when browsing the Internet and Facebook. Some things to avoid are clicking on suspicious pop-up ads, following spam links, responding to phishing attempts, and entering credit card information on fake websites designed to look like Facebook.
What to do if it has been hacked
If you don’t take precautions in time and your account gets hacked, don’t give up hope too soon. There are still some things you can do to recover your hacked Facebook account. Even if it doesn’t work, you can still use Facebook with your new account.