What to Do If Someone Hacked Your Facebook Account and Is Impersonating You
If you are noticing any changes to your Facebook account you did not make, or you find content you did not post, it might be because someone managed to hack your profile. No doubt, the situation is frustrating, especially if you cannot access the account. However, despite how desperate the case might look like, there is something you can do to get the account back, and as you continue reading our blog post, we will tell you what to do if someone is impersonating you on Facebook. Another topic we would like to discuss is how to decrease the chances of cybercriminals hacking the account as much as possible. We list and describe a few useful Facebook features (e.g. Where you're logged in) we believe could strengthen your profile and help you avoid getting your Facebook account hacked.
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What to do if your Facebook account was hacked?
You may wonder how one determines whether the account was hacked or not. As we mentioned in the beginning, one of the signs could be you being unable to log into your account, even though you are providing the right password. If cybercriminals can hack a Facebook account, they can replace its password. There are also situations when hackers gain access to the system, but instead of changing login credentials, they post content in the user's name or invite new friends. Naturally, if you see any comments posted from your account you did not write yourself, you should get worried someone else might have access to it. In either case, what we would recommend for you to do is to Report Compromised Account directly via Facebook. This feature allows you to report an account if you suspect that it is compromised by a virus or another person. Click the My Account Is Compromised button, and Facebook should help you log back into your account as well as regain control over it.
How to prevent your Facebook account from being hacked?
Even though Facebook might have been struggling lately to ensure their users' accounts safety, the website does have a lot of various features designed to prevent hacking. Consequently, if you do not want your Facebook account hacked, you should learn about these features and choose a few to secure your profile.
A lot of cybersecurity specialists are talking about the benefits of having Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), which is available to many popular websites' users, including Facebook's. Here are short instructions explaining how to set up 2FA for your Facebook account.
How to set up 2FA for your Facebook account
- Go to your account's Settings.
- Go to the Security and Login menu.
- Choose Use two-factor authentication and click Get Started.
- Pick the method you prefer, follow the website's instructions, and select Enable.
Another handy feature you should know about is called Where You're Logged in. Just like the title suggests, it allows you to see the devices you are currently logged in and their locations. The best part is, if you see some unrecognized device, you can log out from it. To stay safe, we would recommend using this feature once in a while to check if there are no suspicious devices on the list and especially if there are any other signals suggesting someone might be trying to hack your account. If you want to check it out, follow these steps.
How to use Where You're Logged in
- Access your account and go to its Settings.
- Select Security and Login.
- Go to Where You're Logged in.
- Check the list and log out from unknown devices by pressing End Activity/Log out.
Moreover, if you enable the Login Notifications feature, you can receive alerts from Facebook when someone is trying to log into your account from an unknown device or browser. The warning message will not only tell you when the incident occurred but also the location where it happened. We highly recommend enabling this feature so you could react fast if someone tries to hack your Facebook account. Here are instructions on how to turn on Login Notifications.
How to turn on Login Notifications
- Go to your account's Settings.
- Navigate to Security and Login menu.
- Look for Get alerts about unrecognized logins and click Edit.
- Pick how you would like to get these notifications and press Save Changes.
Some time ago we also talked about a feature called Trusted Contacts. It allows choosing up to five friends you trust, who could help you recover your account, in case you are unable to access it. To learn more about the benefits of this feature, and most importantly how to set it up, you should continue reading here.
What other extra precautions can you take to protect your Facebook account?
Setting up a strong password could make it difficult for cybercriminals to hack your account. If you do not think you can come up with a secure passcode yourself, you could use the tips presented in our previous blog post or use Cyclonis Password Manager that can generate unique combinations for you. The application has an integrated Password Generator that lets you create passcodes from chosen length and characters. In other words, the tool can help you create unique passwords, and you do not have to worry about remembering them, as Cyclonis memorizes them for you. Also, have we mentioned it is free to use?
To conclude, various accounts are being targeted every day, and you can never know if you will be the next victim of identity theft. Therefore, if you value your privacy, we would recommend investing a couple of minutes to secure your account. We cannot promise enabling various security features will guarantee your profile will never be hacked, but it will make it more difficult for cybercriminals to succeed and give you time to prevent your Facebook account from being hacked.
