Instagram account hacked and email and phone number changed

Instagram is crucial for designers, serving as a marketing and networking tool that’s key to landing new clients. So what should you do if you’ve had your Instagram hacked? First, don’t panic—you’re not alone. “I’d say it’s common for the average user to get hacked to some degree in their life,” says Matthew Krull, a social media strategist at design-focused communications agency Novità. “I hear more often than not from my friends and colleagues that they’ve experienced some suspicious activity on their account.” But if you’ve had your Instagram account hacked, it’s important to recover it as quickly as possible. Here are the steps for how to get your Instagram account back, as well as measures you can take to bolster your cybersecurity.

Can you get your Instagram back if it’s been hacked?

The short answer: It depends.

If you’ve had your Instagram hacked, it is possible to get it back, but you need to move fast, so that the hacker can’t compromise your account further. If you act quickly, you might be able to kick out the hacker while they’re in your account and before they’ve changed your info, deleted your photos, or posted to your profile. That way you can save yourself the trouble of having to recover your Instagram account through a Meta support request.

But if the hacker has already gone beyond logging in and potentially changing your password, Instagram account recovery becomes a lot more difficult. Depending on how much damage they’ve done, Instagram may be able to help you recover your account. But brace yourself: If your account has been deleted by a hacker, there might be nothing the Instagram support team can do to recover your account.

How do I get my Instagram account back?

There are two different levels of hacking: One that only changes your password, and another that changes your password and contact info. Here’s how to report a hacked Instagram account, and how to recover your Instagram account as soon as possible.

What to do if a hacker has changed your Instagram password

If you’ve found that your password no longer works, simply follow the steps for setting a new one, as prompted by the login page on the Instagram app. Hopefully, the login link will be sent to your email account or phone number, and you can use a security code to log back in to your account and change your password. This would be the best case scenario, as you can solve the problem yourself without having to contact Instagram. (That said, it’s not a bad idea to contact Instagram customer service anyway and let them know that your Instagram account has been hacked—the company may point out some helpful security tips to keep your account safe in the future.)

You’ve had your Instagram hacked, and the hacker changed your password and contact information. Now what?

Hitting a brick wall at the login screen? Yikes. If you’re locked out of your social media account, and you don’t receive a password reset link when you request one via the Forgot password button, a hacker may have changed your email and phone number. This is a more common type of hacking, as scammers know you will try to reset your password yourself, and they will want to keep control of the account for themselves. They may even hold your Instagram account for ransom, and request bitcoin or other plunder for you to get it back. If that’s the case, you’ll need to report the activity to Instagram by following the instructions here. They will ask you to verify your identity—you might even have to take a video selfie to prove you are who you say you are. This process likely won’t give you immediate access; it could take days or even weeks to recover your Instagram account.

Can you recover your Instagram account if it has been deleted?

In some cases, hackers might delete all your posts, or they might delete your account entirely. If they’ve deleted some but not all of your account, you might be able to retrieve posts by going into the Your Activity section of your Instagram account and selecting Recently deleted. There, you’ll find posts from the last 30 days as well as stories from the last 24 hours. You can then restore those images or videos.

But if your account has been totally deleted, you might be out of luck. Instagram itself says, “When you delete your account, your profile, photos, videos, comments, likes, and followers will be permanently removed.” You can create a new account with the same email address you used before, but you may not be able to get the same username.

Instagram is a powerful and addictive social media platform. Over the past few years, the app has gained functionalities like stories, login activity, highlights, reels, music, filters, and much more, which has made many of us stick to the app for a long time. The app has over 500 million daily active users under its belt and with such a large user base, it has also become an easy exploit for hackers around the globe.

Every now and then, we hear accounts getting hacked (including some celebrity’s accounts)  or being misused by someone else. The platform has also become an attractive phishing scam place for many. If your Instagram account was hacked recently or you just lost control of the app, in this article we will take a look at a few ways to get your Instagram account back. And, further, we will also give you a few tips to secure your Instagram account, so that your account remains safe.  

Also Read: Instagram: How to Reply to a Message on Instagram Using Different Ways

If you think your account has been hacked or taken over, there are a few actions you can take and get back the access. In some cases, you will get a mail from letting you know that your email address was changed, you may be able to undo this change by selecting revert this change in that message. In case your password was changed and you’re unable to change back your email address, you can use the below-mentioned methods. 

Also Read: Facebook Account Hacked? How to Report A Compromised FB Account and Easily Recover It

How to Recover Hacked Instagram Account By Requesting a Login Link

In this method, you need to confirm to Instagram that you are the owner of the account, you can request a login link to your email address or phone number by following these steps. 

1. On the login screen, tap Get help logging in (Android) or Forgot password? (iPhone)
2. Enter the username, email address, or phone number linked with your account
3. Tap Next
4. Select your email address or phone number
5. Next, tap Send login link option
6. You will get a login link to your email ID or phone number
7. Click the login link in your email or SMS and follow the on-screen instructions

Note: In case you don’t remember the username, email address, or phone number linked with your account, tap Need more help? below the Next button (step 3) and follow the on-screen instructions.

Also Read: Instagram Highlights: How to Create Instagram Highlights on Mobile and PC

How to Recover Hacked Instagram Account By Requesting a Security Code

In case you are unable to recover your Instagram account with the login link, you can request Instagram support. Here are the steps you can follow:

1. Go to the login screen
2. Tap Get help logging in (below Log in)
3. Enter the username, email address, or phone number linked with your account
4. Tap Need more help?
5. Follow the on-screen instructions
6. Select either your email address or phone number
   
7. Next, tap Send security code
8. If you don’t receive a security code, tap I can’t access this email or phone number below Send the security code, then follow the on-screen instructions and get back your account. 

Note: If you have more than one Instagram account you may need to select the account you’re having trouble logging into first, then follow the on-screen instructions. (in step 3)

Also Read: Instagram Login Activity: How to Check and Delete Instagram Login Activity on Mobile and PC

How to Recover Hacked Instagram Account By Verifying your identity

This is handy when your Instagram account has photos without you and you have submitted a support request. In that case, first, you will be getting an auto-response email from the Support Team at Meta. And then, you will be asked to help verify your identity by providing the email address or phone number you signed up with and the type of device you used at the time of sign up like iPhone, iPad, Android, PC, etc.

Next, you will be asked to take a video selfie of you turning your head in different directions to help Instagram check that you’re a real person and confirm your identity. Once the video is submitted, you will get an email from Instagram. If the verification fails, you can submit a new video and Instagram will review it again.

Instagram says the video you submit will be deleted within 30 days. The company says it will use video selfies to ensure you are a real person and may confirm with a human review that you are authorized to recover your account.

Also Read: Forgot Instagram Password? How to Change or Reset Instagram Password on Desktop and Mobile App

Tips to Secure Instagram Account

Use Two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication or 2FA is an additional security feature that helps you protect your Instagram account and your password. If you set up two-factor authentication, you’ll receive an SMS after entering your password. Only if the special login code is verified, you will be logged in to your Instagram account. 

This way, your account will be more secure and when someone tries logging into your account from a device we don’t recognize, they won’t be able to log in without the code. Here is how you can set up 2FA on Instagram. 

1. Open Instagram > Tap on your profile photo on the bottom right
2. Tap more options in the top right
3. Tap Settings
4. Tap Security, then tap Two-Factor Authentication
5. Tap Get Started at the bottom.
6. Choose the security method you want to add
7. Follow the on-screen instructions

Change the password every six months

While this might sound like a very basic way to keep your account safe, we often tend to forget to change passwords because it is an extra thing to remember for the next time. However, this is a very handy method to keep an account safe and with a mix of alphanumeric characters and special characters in the password, your account will be less prone to hacking.

Also Read: Instagram: How to Add Music or Songs to Instagram Story, Posts and Reels

Confirm your phone number and email address in the account settings

In case you have not done so already, confirm your phone number and email address and link them to your account. In case anything goes wrong in the future, your mail address and phone number linked will come to your rescue. 

1. Go to Settings
2. Tap on Account
3. Select Personal information
4. Confirm your phone number and email

Revoke access from other third-party apps and sites

There are many apps and websites where you’d have to use your Instagram, and login details to access the app/ website. While not all of those are harmful, some of them might be misusing your data or that particular website or app might leak your data like ID and password, so you can revoke access to these kinds of apps and services by visiting this web page. 

Always Cross Check Instagram Mail on the App

Instagram is a big platform; naturally, scammers will try to get a hold of your account through various means. One of the most prominent ones is phishing emails. It is always advisable to be careful while opening any link that comes from a suspicious email that projects itself as Instagram. Thankfully, Instagram has a feature that allows you to check all the emails that are sent by the Instagram official email right from the application. In order to do that, you can do the following:

1. Open the Instagram application and click on hamburger menu.
2. Click on Settings and then go to Security.
3. There, you will find the Emails from Instagram option. Click on it.

With this, you will be able to see all the emails sent to you by Instagram.

These were some of the best ways to keep your account safe from being hacked. By following these four practices, you will be able to keep your account safe from getting hacked easily.

Also Read: Instagram Reels: How to Make Reels Videos on Instagram

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How do Instagram accounts get hacked?

Instagram accounts can be hacked due to multiple reasons. One of the most common ones is when the hacker finds the account information and password after a data breach. They can also get Instagram information through various phishing or malware-induced applications.

Can Instagram help with a hacked account?

Yes, Instagram has a dedicated help page for those whose account has been hacked.

Can I find out who tried to log into my Instagram?

No, as of now you cannot know who has tried to log into your Instagram account. However, if you set up two-factor authentication, then you will know if anyone is trying to log into your account.

Can someone change my Instagram password?

If someone tries to reset your password, Instagram will send you an email notifying you of the change. This simply means you must respond quickly.

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