November 9, 2024
By Burton Kelso
The Technology Expert
In today’s digital age, your Facebook account is more than a platform for sharing what’s trending in your life. Facebook has become an extension of your personal and professional lives. So, when your Facebook account gets hacked, it can feel like an invasion of your privacy as well as a reminder of how vulnerable you are in this cyber crime age.
Recovering your hacked Facebook account is almost impossible with criminals turning account security tools against you such as changing your password and enabling 2-factor authentication to block account access. Even further, there’s no one to contact at Facebook leaving you with limited options to reclaim your account. Here’s what you need to know.
Why do criminals attack Facebook Accounts? Criminals target Facebook accounts to steal your personal data, commit financial fraud, spread malware, and conduct phishing scams. They exploit accounts to impersonate you, potentially damage your reputation, and access your friends sensitive information. The wealth of personal information that can be obtained from the 3 billion people on Facebook makes accounts like yours an attractive target.
Has Your Facebook Account Been Hacked or Cloned? First, identify if your account has been hacked. Cyber crooks attack Facebook accounts in two ways. First, they will just clone your account by copying your name, some of your details, and a few of your posts. Next, looking at your account, they will see who you are connected to and send friend requests from the cloned account to your friends to see if they will fall for malicious phishing scams by posting to their wall or from a message sent to Facebook Messenger. If one of your friends contacts you about a strange message they received from you and you still can log into Facebook, chances are your account has just been cloned. Finally, if a criminal gains access to your Facebook login credentials from a data breach that leaked your information to the dark web, they will log into your account, change your password locking you out of your account. They will also enable 2 step authentication to prevent you from accessing your account with one of the Facebook recovery methods.
Report Your Account. Hacked or Cloned. If you suspect your Facebook account has been tampered with, do the following:
Go to the Facebook Help Center: Visit facebook.com/hacked from any device.
Select the Reason: Choose the option that best describes your situation, such as “Someone else gained access to my account.”
Follow the Instructions: Facebook will guide you through securing your account settings and verifying your identity.
If you no longer have access to your Facebook account, email or phone number, you may need to verify your identity by submitting a government-issued ID to Facebook. This process is completely safe. Simply follow the instructions provided by Facebook to complete this process.
Criminals sometimes will neglect to turn on 2-factor authentication on your account. You may be able to use your Facebook verification methods to log back into your account. If you can do this, make sure you change your password immediately to deny criminals to your account.
Inform Your Family and Friends. Let your friends and family know your account was tampered with. Warn them not to click on any suspicious links or messages they might have received from your account during the hack. If your account was If your account was cloned, then your friends can help you report the account. Criminals will block you from your cloned account which only makes it possible for your friends to see the account. If your account has been hacked, you may need to contact another Facebook friend to notify your network to let others know you’ve lost your account. If you think your someone has taken over your account, NEVER post on your feed that your account has been hacked. This will attract the attention of scammers who will send you messages claiming they can get your account back for you. This scammer will trick you into paying large sums of money with the promise of gaining access to your account. The only people who can get your account back is Facebook.
Who can I contact at Facebook? Facebook does have a couple of phone numbers you can try, but they only play pre-recorded messages and direct you to their online help resources. Here are the numbers:
+1 650-543-4800
+1 650-308-730012
If you have a Facebook-verified account, your chances of contacting a Facebook representative increases.
You can also contact Facebook Support via email. You can drop an email to the relevant email addresses, although most people complain that they rarely hear back.
For general support, use [email protected].
If you’ve lost access to your Facebook Business account, you can visit the Facebook for Business Help page by navigating to https://www.facebook.com/business/help.
Never attempt to use Google to attempt to find a number for Facebook. Criminals and scammers have setup multiple bogus websites designed to trick you into calling these numbers. Once you have contacted the fake Facebook tech support, they will attempt to get you to pay for the retrieval of your account. Facebook will never charge you to regain access to your account.
I recommend only using Facebook’s Help Center at facebook.com/help. You can also report issues directly through their support page if your account has been hacked.
I won’t lie to you, regaining access to your Facebook account is nearly imposible as AI almost entirely runs Facebook and often, you won’t receive correspondence back if you call or email Facebook. The best way to get access to your hacked is to not allow it to get hacked at all. Simple steps such as change your Facebook password on a regular basis, using passphrases rather than passwords and enabling 2 factor authentication on your account are easier to do rather than trying to get access to your Facebook account.
Hopefully, this will give you tips to help you gain access to your Facebook account. If you enjoyed this posts, let me know in the comments below. If you have any questions, please reach out via email or on social media. I’m always available.
Want to ask me a tech question? Send it to [email protected]. If you prefer to connect with me on social media, you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter and watch great tech tip videos on my YouTube channel. I love technology. I’ve read all of the manuals and I want to make technology fun and easy to use for everyone! If you need on-site or remote tech support for your Windows\Macintosh, computers, laptops, Android/Apple smartphone, tablets, printers, routers, smart home devices, and anything that connects to the Internet, please feel free to contact my team at Integral. My team of friendly tech experts are always standing by to answer your questions and help make your technology useful and fun. Reach out to us at www.callintegralnow.com or phone at 888.256.0829.
