It starts off innocently enough… You get a message on FB Messenger from your friend either asking for some financial help or to give a verification code that your mobile will be receiving via SMS. If you are getting messages that are totally out of character with your friend, there’s a very high chance their FB account has been compromised or “hacked” by a third party. Most times, the ‘victim’ may not even realise their FB account has been hacked until alerted by friends or family.

Or you might find yourself getting locked out of your own Facebook account after entering your login credentials that you know to be correct. You realise that you’ve just been hacked.

And in some case, your account may have been compromised without you knowing it as the hacker just gains access into your account without doing anything… yet.

So, what can you do if you’ve been hacked? First thing is to not panic, but you do need to work fast to regain control of your account.

If you are lucky enough and can still login to your Facebook account, then the first thing you need to do is to change your password.

Changing Your Password

To change your password on Facebook if you're already logged in:
1. Click account settings in the top right corner of any Facebook page and select Settings.
2. Click Security and Login.
3. Click Edit next to Change Password.
4. Click Save Changes.
If you're logged in but have forgotten your password, follow the steps under Change Your Password then click Forgot your password? And follow the steps to reset it. Keep in mind that you'll need access to the email associated with your account.

Reset Your Password

To reset your password if you're not logged in to Facebook:
1. Go to the Find Your Account Page.
2. Type the email, mobile phone number, full name or username associated with your account, then click Search.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions.

But what if I can’t login to my Facebook Account in the first place?

This means the hacker has changed your password. But don’t lose hope yet. You should proceed to https://www.facebook.com/hacked and follow all the steps. However, if you didn’t set up your Facebook account properly with an alternative email or mobile number, you may face difficulty in the process, so if you haven’t already done so, please go and update your security settings.
What can I do to safeguard myself in future?

Method one – Turn on two-factor authentication

Turn on Facebook’s two-factor authentication feature to help protect your account in addition to your password. If you set up two-factor authentication, you'll be asked to enter a special login code or confirm your login attempt each time someone tries accessing Facebook from a computer or mobile device Facebook doesn’t recognise. You can also get alerts when someone tries logging in from a computer Facebook doesn’t recognise.

To turn on or manage two-factor authentication:
1. Go to your Security and Login Settings by clicking in the top-right corner of Facebook and clicking Settings > Security and Login.
2. Scroll down to Use two-factor authentication and click Edit.
3. Choose the authentication method you want to add and follow the on-screen instructions.
4. Click Enable once you've selected and turned on an authentication method.
There are several two-factor authentication methods you can use with your Facebook account when logging in from an unrecognised computer or mobile device. To get started with two-factor authentication, choose either:
• Text message (SMS) codes from your mobile phone.
You'll need to have at least one of these set up in order to use two-factor authentication. Once you have added either text message (SMS) codes or a third party authentication app on your account, you'll also be able to set up some of the optional methods below:
• Approving your login attempt from a device FB recognises.
• Using one of your recovery codes.
• Tapping your security key on a compatible device.

Method two – turn on Trusted Contacts

To get set up, visit your Security Settings, where you can select three to five friends to be your trusted contacts.
To select good trusted contacts:
- Choose people you trust, like friends you’d give a spare key to your house.
- Choose people you can reach without using Facebook, ideally over the phone or in person, since you’ll need to contact them when you can’t log in.
- Choose more people to help you. The more friends you choose, the more people who can help you when you need it.


Using Trusted Contacts
Once you've set up your trusted contacts, if you ever have trouble logging in, you'll have your trusted contacts as an option to help. You just need to call your trusted contacts and let them know you need their help to regain access to your account. Make sure you have established that you will always CALL them on their mobile and not via Messenger as there have been cases where hackers were able to get the codes from unsuspecting contacts via Messenger.

Each of them can get a security code for you with instructions on how to help you. Once you get three security codes from your trusted contacts, you can enter them into Facebook to recover your account.

With trusted contacts, there’s no need to worry about remembering the answer to your security question or filling out long web forms to prove who you are. You can recover your account with help from your friends.

Additional Method

We cannot stress this enough of times. Do not use the same password for your emails and Facebook account. We repeat, DO NOT USE THE SAME PASSWORD. It’s like giving hackers a master key to all your online accounts if they manage to get into 1 account.

If you find it a chore to remember so many passwords, you can consider some password managers such as Last Pass or Dashlane.