Has your Facebook account been hacked? Type facebook.com/hacked it into your browser yourself, preferably on a device you have used for Facebook before. Can you still log in? Change your password and check who has access. Can someone also access your email inbox? Secure that first. Call your bank immediately about suspicious payments, even if you are still dealing with your account.
Choose the situation that applies to you below and follow the steps.
How can you recognise a hacked Facebook account?
Is there a post on your profile that you did not publish? Or has your email address changed without you doing anything? These are signs that someone else may have access to your account.
Also watch for these changes:
- Friends receive strange links or payment requests from your profile.
- You receive a notification about a change you do not recognise.
- Your password suddenly no longer works and you also notice other suspicious changes.
One error message alone does not prove that you have been hacked. For example, can you only not add someone? Read why you cannot add someone on Facebook.
If possible, take screenshots of suspicious messages and changes. Note when you discovered them. Do you need to block a payment? Call your bank first.
Facebook hacked, but you can still log in
Do not log out immediately. First check whether you can change your password and still access the email address or phone number you use to recover your account.
- Secure your email inbox. Can someone also access your email? Secure it first from a device you trust. Otherwise, that person may also be able to read new recovery messages.
- Change your Facebook password. Choose a new, long password that you do not use anywhere else. Do not just change one number in your old password.
- Check your email address and phone number. Make sure your own details are correct and that you can use them. Then remove unknown contact details.
- Check which devices are logged in. Look for active logins in the security settings. Log out devices you do not recognise, if that option is available.
- Check your profile and messages. Keep evidence of misuse. Then delete strange messages where possible and warn the people who received them.
Settings may be in a different place or have a different name. Can you not make a change, for example because a code is being sent to an unknown email address? Follow the steps below to recover your account.
Recovering your hacked Facebook account without access
The official Facebook Help Centre for hacked accounts links to facebook.com/hacked. Preferably use a device on which you have logged in before. Type the address yourself into your browser’s address bar.
- Choose a device you trust. Preferably use your own phone or computer on which you have used Facebook before. Do you think it contains harmful software? Use another trusted device first.
- Follow the questions on the recovery page. Only provide the details requested by the official page.
- Check where a code is being sent. Only request a code be sent to an inbox or phone number that you can access yourself.
- Can you no longer access that email address or number? Choose another recovery option if Facebook shows one. Is there no alternative? Also try recovering your inbox or number through your email provider or phone provider.
What if your email address or phone number has changed?
Look in your original inbox for messages about the change. Keep them as evidence. A sender’s name can be forged, so do not rely on that alone. Unsure about an email? Open Facebook yourself instead of clicking a link.
Do you keep reaching the same step? Write down what goes wrong and which contact details you see. That way, you know what you have already tried next time. Recovery options vary by situation. There is no fixed recovery time and you will not always get your account back.
According to the Meta update on account access automatic AI assistance for login problems began on 20 March 2026 for selected cases in the US and Canada. Do not rely on this assistance in the Netherlands or Belgium.
Fake Facebook message: what should you do after clicking?
A fake message may threaten that your profile will be removed if you do not log in quickly. Scammers use this to lure you to a fake website and steal your details. This is called phishing. What you should do now depends on what you entered or opened.
| What did you do? | What should you do now? |
|---|---|
| Only opened the link | Close the page. Do not enter anything or open downloaded files. Clicking alone does not prove that someone has taken over your account. |
| Entered your password | Change your password through Facebook itself. Also change it on other accounts where you used the same password. |
| Shared a login code | Someone may therefore have access to your account. Check which devices are logged in and follow the recovery steps. |
| Installed software | Use another trusted device to recover your account. Check the suspicious device for harmful software before entering passwords there again. |
Do not pay anyone unknown who promises to recover your account. Do not share passwords, login codes or recovery codes with anyone posing as a staff member. Do not give that person access to control your device remotely either.
Warning friends if your Facebook has been hacked
Warn your friends outside Facebook, for example by phone call, SMS or a group chat in another app. Start with the people who have already received a strange message from your profile.
You can adapt this example message:
My Facebook account may have been taken over. Do not open links or transfer money based on messages from my profile. Did you receive something? Call me on my usual number.
Ask friends to keep suspicious messages and report them where possible. Has someone transferred money? Ask that person to call their own bank immediately. Anyone who entered a password on a suspicious page should change that password too.
Facebook hacked: help with financial loss or misuse of data
Call your bank immediately if you see an unknown payment, have shared payment details or have transferred money to a scammer. Use the number in your banking app, on your bank card or on your bank’s official website. Then follow the bank’s instructions.
In the Netherlands or Belgium, contact the police for advice about reporting scams, extortion, threats or identity misuse. If you have lost money, do not wait until you regain access to Facebook.
Keep the following for your report:
- Screenshots of messages and payment requests.
- Dates, times and the associated profile names.
- Payment receipts and the recipient’s account details.
- Emails about changes to your account.
Have you sent a copy of your identity document to a suspicious person or organisation? Tell the police that too. Do not publish evidence containing personal details on your profile.
Securing your Facebook account after a hack
Can you log in again? Check your security before using Facebook normally again.
- Give each account its own password. Use different passwords for Facebook and your email inbox. A password manager is a programme that can create and store strong passwords for you.
- Turn on an additional login check. This is called two step verification. You then need something else as well as your password to log in, such as a code from an app. Choose a method offered by your account.
- Store any recovery codes securely. Do not share them. Do not store them only on your phone either, as you could lose it.
- Check your email address and phone number again. You must be able to use them yourself to recover your account.
- Update your devices. Install updates for your phone, computer, browser and apps. Remove unknown apps and browser extensions.
- Also change your old password wherever you reused it. Start with your email inbox and accounts containing payment details.
Finally, check whether there are still strange messages or changes on your profile. Let the friends you warned know that you have access again. Ask them to continue ignoring earlier suspicious messages. Once your account is working as intended, you can explore our Facebook services to compare packages for followers and page likes for your public profile or content.
