How to fix a compromised Facebook profile

It’s hard to put an exact number on it, but it’s estimated that over 150,000 Facebook accounts are compromised every single day. Compromised accounts put their users at risk because hackers can masquerade as them and post comments or send phishing messages on their behalf.

If you’re one of the unfortunate people this happened to, please accept our condolences. We’ll walk you through the steps of regaining access to your account in a matter of minutes, so don’t worry. Then, we’ll show you how to protect your account and your personal information when using the internet. First of all, how can you tell whether your account has been compromised?

How can you tell if someone has hacked into your account?

There are indicators that someone else is using your account without your knowledge. Top indicators to keep an eye out for are:

Something about you or your account has changed, such as your name, birthday, email address, or password.

Your friends and contacts have received messages you didn’t send.

There have been updates or friend requests sent that you didn’t initiate.

If any of these things have happened with your account, you need to fix it right now. Not only may it leave you with some awkward updates to clarify, but it might also put your connections in danger if they get a message “from you” that contains a phishing scam. They won’t be happy if they accidentally click on a dangerous link that installs a virus or other infection.

Facebook account been compromised? here’s how to get it back

Your account can be restored in a few different ways. Depending on the situation, several approaches will be appropriate. The first option is to update your password, which can be done in one of two ways. If this is impossible, you should notify Facebook immediately that your account has been hacked. Learn the two methods below.

Passwords can be reset.

Password resets are often the quickest solution. Here are the measures to take:

Sign into Facebook on your primary device (and ideally while connected to your home Wi-Fi, so Facebook knows it’s you).

Navigate to “Settings” and then “Privacy shortcuts” on your computer. Alternatively, you can access “Password and Security” from the “Settings” menu on the mobile app. From here on out, the steps for mobile and desktop are very similar.