A hacked account can be traumatising to deal with, especially if you start receiving messages from friends who are concerned about messages and updates that they’ve seen from your account.
While resetting your password is an obvious choice, and adding two factor authentication can protect your Facebook account from future hacks, there’s more that you should do as soon as you realise your account has been hacked.
Add an App Lock
Did you know that Messenger can be locked with Face ID, meaning that every time you access the app you will need to show your face?
This is an extra layer of security that prevents other users from being able to send messages via your Messenger on your device.
Log Out of Other Sessions
If your Messenger has been hacked by someone on another device, the most important thing you can do is to kick them out of your account as quickly as possible.
To do this, click on the ‘Accounts Centre’ button in your Messenger Settings menu, and then select ‘Password and Security’. Under the ‘Security Checks’ heading, click ‘Where You’re Logged In’.
Any devices and locations that you don’t recognise should be disconnected immediately.
Let Friends and Contacts Know
The reason for another individual to hack your Messenger account varies based on them. Some do it for fun and for the challenge, while others do it to try and trick other users out of money.
This means that one of the first things you should do is to let all your friends and contacts know to ignore any message they receive from you via Messenger. Make sure to do this on a separate platform so as not to confuse and created mixed messages.
Remove Any Unexpected Apps or Connections
With Facebook Messenger able to be connected to other third party apps for payment and data sharing, it’s crucial that you remove any connections that you didn’t set up yourself.
This will ensure that the hacker isn’t able to steal and use your data, even once you’ve kicked them out of your account and ended their session.
Contact Facebook if You Need To
If you are concerned or have questions about how best to proceed following a hacking on your Facebook Messenger account, then don’t hesitate to contact Facebook or visit the Help Centre.
This is designed to help users to increase their security and keep their account and information as safe as possible on the platform.
We hope this helps and puts your mind at ease. Being hacked is never a nice feeling, but you can take steps to reverse any damage done by sending strategic and efficient messages to your friends and family members, and by upping the security around your profile.
