No matter how many layers of security you have on your Facebook account, there will always be a slim chance that you could lose access to it. It could be due to hackers taking control, or simply you forgetting the login credentials. Regardless, you should follow these steps to recover and secure your account.
Verify the Issue
Before you panic and assume the worst, you should check what the issue could be. If you can't log into your account, you might've just forgotten the credentials to your account. This could happen to anyone especially if one has several social media accounts.
Go through the process of recovering your account by selecting "Forgot Password" on the login page. Use the email or phone number that's associated with your account and follow the steps provided by the site. After that, you can reset your password.
Assuming that you already recovered your account, you can go ahead and check if there is suspicious activity. You can do so by checking for changes in your account and looking into the "Where You're Logged In" settings to see if someone else managed to open it.
You can find that information by heading to Settings, Settings and Privacy, Accounts Center, Password and Security, and Where You're Logged In under Security Checks. If you find that someone did hack into your account, immediately secure it with the following steps below.
If You Recover Your Account
First things first, change your password into something you can easily remember but make sure that it is also strong enough that no one will be able to guess it. Use letters, numbers, and characters, and mix in upper and lower case letters.
Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) so that Facebook will send you a code if you open your account from a new device. Without the code, bad actors will not be able to open your account. With 2FA, Facebook will also send you a notification if an unauthorized device tries to log in.
Utilize Facebook's Privacy Checkup, which you'll find under Settings, and then Settings Privacy. There's a section titled "How to keep your account secure," and you be provided with security steps that you could benefit from but haven't gotten around to yet.
Read Also : Meta's Customer Support for Hacked Accounts is Lacking, State Attorneys General Complain
If You Did Not Regain Access
If you fail to link a phone number or email or no longer have access to them, you might not be able to recover the account. You can try Facebook's Guided Help tool. If that still doesn't work, you might have to move on to damage control.
Even if you cannot open the account, you can still report to Facebook that it has been hacked. You may also ask your family, friends, and relatives to report the account and give them a heads up so they would avoid interacting with it.
Think about the linked accounts you may have added to Facebook and other sensitive information. For instance, if you had your bank details saved on Facebook, you might want to monitor charges you did not make so you can take action immediately.
