Facebook has currently become one of the biggest platforms for hackers and scammers to find and reach their victims and exploit them online. Although, with repeated cases of hacking through phishing or similar hacking methods, users have become much aware but it is indeed tough to keep up with all the new tricks these scamsters devise. According to Fox News, most people do not even know that their accounts have been hacked until they get to know from a friend that they have been receiving suspicious links or messages from the account.
Moreover, some of the accounts are hacked in such a manner that retrieving the account becomes an immensely tough ordeal for the users, some of whom give up and end up creating another account. There must be at least one friend you know who has gone through this fiasco, which makes it clear how widespread the problem actually is.
Reasons why you cannot access your Facebook account after being hacked
Being locked out of your account after it has been hacked is a common issue for Facebook users due to a few reasons. For starters, the hackers who breach your account, access and tamper it in such a manner that retrieving it using your backup email IDs, phone numbers, becomes immensely tough. The hackers change your primary and secondary contact details in your account so that you do not receive any account recovery link from Facebook on the details you had provided.
Another reason you may not be able to access your account can be because someone who has received suspicious links or messages from your account may have suspected a hack and reported it to Facebook. Upon receiving such reports, Facebook often blocks access to the account due to security reasons.
Steps to recover a Facebook account if hacked
If you have been locked out of your Facebook account after a hack and want to retrieve it back, you can visit the Forgotten Password section to reset your password to a new one after following the necessary steps and then log back in. Facebook also advises users to visit https://www.facebook.com/hacked to secure the account, change password also monitor recent login activity.
If the hacker has changed your primary email address to a different one after invading your account, you can check your mailbox as an email requesting verification of this change will be present there. There will be a special verification link sent by Facebook to the email ID that was there in the first place, which can be used to retrieve the account back and login again.
In case both your email as well as phone numbers have been changed by the hacker, which is not letting you recover your Facebook account, then you can head to facebook.com/login/identify where you can fill out a detailed form including some dedicated security questions around your profile to confirm that the account is indeed yours. You may, occasionally need to provide an identification proof to authenticate your verification claim.
Asking Facebook friends to help regain access to your account is another helpful idea
Facebook has the option of requesting friends to help recover a hacked account. One can easily visit the Hacked Accounts section in the Help Centre and follow the steps to help a friend in recovering their account.
FAQs:
Q1. Can Facebook friends help in recovering a hacked account?
A1. Yes, Facebook friends can help in recovering a hacked account by following necessary steps in the Hacked Accounts section in the Facebook Help Center.
Q2. Do I need to provide ID proof for recovering my Facebook account?
A2. In case your account has been hacked and you wish to retrieve it, you can use your Forgotten Password option to retrieve the account. In the case both your phone number and email ID have been removed from the account, you can head over to facebook.com/login/identify and fill out a form to authenticate yourself as the owner of the account. For this, sometimes, you may need to provide an identification proof.