How To Help a Relative Recover a Hacked Social Media Account

Act immediately to limit the damage

Speed matters enormously here, because a hijacked account can be used within minutes to message friends asking for money, post scam links, or lock your relative out permanently by changing the recovery email and password. As soon as you notice or are told about the takeover, try logging in immediately to change the password if access is still possible, and check for a 'log out of all other sessions' option, which most platforms offer, to cut off the fraudster's active session. If login is already blocked, report the account as hacked through the platform's app or website straight away rather than waiting to see if it resolves itself, since every hour it stays compromised is another hour it can be used against people who trust your relative.

• Use the platform's official 'report compromised account' or 'hacked account' recovery flow — do not try to log in repeatedly
• Warn contacts using another channel (text, phone) not to respond to requests for money or personal details from that account
• Change the password on any other account that uses the same password
• If the email linked to the account was also compromised, recover that first

Work through the platform's official recovery process

Every major platform has its own recovery pathway, and finding the genuine one matters, because searching 'recover hacked Facebook account' online often surfaces fake 'recovery services' that are themselves scams charging a fee for something that should be free. Go directly to the platform's own app or official website, look for a 'forgot password' or 'my account is compromised' option specifically, and follow its identity verification steps exactly, which may include a video selfie, a code sent to a backup email, or answers to security questions set up long ago. Be patient — genuine recovery on major platforms can take anywhere from a few hours to several days, and rushing to pay a third party for a faster fix usually makes things worse, not better.

• Search the platform name plus 'account hacked' on the platform's own help centre
• Be prepared to verify identity — this may require submitting a photo ID
• Check the email inbox linked to the account for recovery messages
• If recovery fails, try a trusted friend or family member who is connected to the account to report it

Secure the account once recovered

Once access is restored, a short list of follow-up steps prevents the same thing happening again within weeks. Change the password to something long and unique, remove any unfamiliar linked apps or devices from the account's security settings, and turn on two-factor authentication using an authenticator app rather than text messages if the option exists. Check for any changes the fraudster may have left behind, such as a new recovery email address, forwarding rules, or posts and messages sent while they had control, and let close contacts know the account is secure again in case they received a scam message during the takeover. Finally, review whether the same password was reused anywhere else, since that reuse is often how the account was compromised in the first place.

• Change the password to a new unique one and store it in a password manager
• Enable two-factor authentication immediately
• Review which apps and services have access to the account and remove unfamiliar ones
• Check account settings for any email or phone number changes made by the fraudster

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Frequently asked questions

Sources

• FTC — How To Recover Your Hacked Email or Social Media Account
• Scamwatch — Account or Identity Takeover Scams
• CISA — More Than a Password (Multi-Factor Authentication)
• CISA — Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks