Hacked Instagram or Facebook: how to recover and lock it down (India)
Last updated: 2026-07-11
To recover a hacked Instagram or Facebook account, use the platform's own "hacked account" or account-recovery flow — it verifies your identity and lets you reset your password with a code sent to your email or phone. Getting back in is only half the job.
Once you are in, lock the account down so the attacker cannot return: change the password from a trusted device, turn on two-factor authentication, remove any logged-in sessions and connected apps you do not recognise, and check the email and phone number on the account were not changed to the attacker's. Then warn your contacts about impersonation. The full checklist is below.
Recover, then lock down — in order
Steps 1–2 get you back in. Steps 3–6 are what actually keep the attacker out — most people stop after the password reset and get hacked again because a door was left open.
- Start the platform's account-recovery flow. Use the app's official "hacked account", "forgot password", or "get help logging in" option. It walks you through verifying your identity and resetting your password with a code to your email or phone. If the attacker changed your login email, the same flow usually has a "my email was changed" path — follow it.
- Reset the password from a trusted device. Choose a new, unique password from a different, trusted device — not one you think the attacker may still control.
- Turn on two-factor authentication. Switch on two-factor (also called two-step or login-approval) so a password alone is not enough to log in again.
- Sign out and review sessions and connected apps. In the security settings, review "where you're logged in" and log out every session and device you do not recognise. Then review connected or authorised apps and remove any you did not add.
- Check your email, phone, and recovery details. Confirm the email address and phone number on the account are still yours, and that the attacker did not add their own recovery contact. Fix anything that was changed.
- Warn your contacts and report. Tell your friends and followers you were hacked so they ignore any money requests, fake investment tips, or links sent from your account. File a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in; if the hack led to any money lost, also call 1930 and note the reference numbers.
Use only the app's own Help / account-recovery flow — not a "recovery service", a support number from a search result, or a link someone sent you. Recovery is possible but not guaranteed; acting quickly, before the attacker changes more of your details, gives the best chance.
Why the lock-down matters
An attacker who got in once often leaves a way back: a session still logged in on their device, a connected app they authorised, or a recovery email or phone they added. If you only reset the password and skip these, they can quietly return. That is why steps 3–5 above are not optional.
Beware a second scam: never pay a "recovery agent", "ethical hacker", or "hacker-for-hire" who promises to restore your account for a fee — that is a fresh fraud. The only real routes are the platform's own account-recovery flow and, to report, cybercrime.gov.in and 1930. Do the password reset from a different, trusted device if you think the attacker still had access to yours.
To report a hacked account or any money lost, see how to report online fraud: cybercrime.gov.in and 1930.
If you can't get back in
Keep every complaint acknowledgement number. If the recovery flow does not restore your account, keep trying the platform's official "hacked account" path, and use the National Consumer Helpline (1915) for guidance. All official channels are linked below so you can act directly.
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