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Writer's pictureNitin Yadav

I think my Instagram account has been hacked. Here's how you can recover it.

Most of us have heard the word 'hack' and if you've ever had anything online, you know there is always a chance for your account to be hacked.


If you have an Instagram account, then it is time to think about whether you are hacked. Hackers are using social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook to promote their illegal activities and sell products on the dark net marketplace.



Have you ever wondered if your Instagram account has been hacked? If so, you're not alone.


If you think your Instagram account has been hacked, thinking about contacting the Instagram Support team? But you're not sure what to do.


If the answer to all the above questions is yes then this article has a few helpful hints that will help you to get your Instagram account back.


How do these things happen?

So the first mistake which people make is passwords.



Simple password

They use a simple password for their accounts and also reused the same password on other accounts the password can be compromised via brute force on other websites and the hacker being creative tried that password on your Instagram and got access to your account.


But you don't remember the password if you use unique passwords for all your accounts. So what can be done here?


Use a password manager there are many password managers out there like 1password, dash line, keeper, LastPass, nordpass, and many more.


Now you are unsure about how to choose among these.


So for that, you can refer to the password manager they have a great blog on password managers which will help you to choose the best password manager that suits you.


To read the blog click here



2fa

They don't use 2-factor authentication on their accounts. It is very easy to set up on your accounts but people don't use them until something happens to their accounts.


A hacker can't get into your account even if he is having the right password or if he clicks forget password but he will be asked for the 2fa code first to log in. And even if by any means they got into your account the first thing a hacker will do is change the password but if you have 2fa enabled then he will need to type the 2fa code in order to change the password. That makes your account more secure than 50% of the users.


Recovery codes

Save your recovery codes somewhere so that in case you can't access your account you can use them.


Don't trust verified emails

If you got an email saying to be a verified user or something like that. Don't blindly click on the link provided by them first verify who the user is who is sending you the email.

Instagram@gmail.com is not a verified Instagram email.



How to get your account back if it's hacked?


If you can't access your account or the hacker has changed the email address of your account. Then it's a dead end you can't do anything.


Wait!!!!


I said you can't do anything but Instagram can.


So first thing to do when your email is changed


Request Login link

So if you have your mobile number linked to your account and the hacker in case haven't changed the mobile number so you can request a login link to your mobile number.


To get the login link-
  • On the login screen, tap Get help logging in. (Android) or Forgotten password? (iPhone).

  • Enter the username, email address, or phone number associated with your account, then tap Next. Note: If you don't have access to the username, email address, or phone number associated with your account, enter the login information that you most recently used, then tap Can't reset your password? below the Next button and follow the on-screen instructions.

  • Select either your email address or phone number, then tap Next.

  • Click the login link in your email or text message (SMS) and follow the on-screen instructions.



If the email is connected and you can't see any mail from Instagram in your inbox-

If your email is connected and while forgetting your password you can see that there is an option to send the login link to your mail account but when doing that you are not receiving any mail in your inbox.


Here, what has happened is that the hacker knows your Instagram password and you are using the same passwords for all your accounts.


The Hacker will use the reused password and block the recovery emails sent to your inbox from Instagram.


So you can check your blocked list and get the login link to log into your account.


If you cannot log in using the link-

If the login link is not working or you can't log in using the link then you can request a security code.


To get the security code in Android-

  • On the login screen, tap Get help logging in below Log in.

  • Enter the username, email address, or phone number associated with your account, then tap Need more help? Remember that if you have more than one Instagram account, you may need to select the account that you're having trouble logging in to first, then follow the on-screen instructions.

  • Tap Need more help? then follow the on-screen instructions.

  • Select either your email address or phone number, then tap Send security code.

  • If you don't receive a security code, tap I can't access this email address or phone number below Send security code, then follow the on-screen instructions.



To get the security code in iPhone-

  • From the login link screen, tap Need more help? below Send login link. Select either your email address or phone number, then tap Send security code.


  • If you don't receive a security code, tap I can't access this email address or phone number below Send security code, then follow the on-screen instructions.

Verify your identity-


If you submitted a support request for an account without photos of you, you should receive an auto-response email from the support team of Meta.


They will ask you to help us verify your identity by providing the email address or phone number that you signed up with and the type of device that you used at the time of sign-up

If you request support for an account with photos of you, you'll be asked to take a video selfie of you turning your head in different directions to help us check that you're a real person and confirm your identity.

Once you've submitted the video selfie to help us verify your identity, you'll receive an email from Instagram at the secure email address that you provided.


They use this video to ensure that you are a real person and that you are who you say you are.

If they weren't able to confirm your identity from the video that you submitted, you can submit a new video and they will review it again.



If your email is changed-


If your email is changed then you will receive a mail from Instagram as security@mail.instagram.com and there will be a link to reverse the change of that mail.


You can click on the mail over smart the hacker.


So that is it for today guys lets meet in another writeup and don't forget to check the password manager's blog on selecting a password manager.
















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