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If you’ve never had your Facebook hacked into, consider yourself one of the lucky few. Nearly everyone I know has had their Facebook account hacked into at some point or another. While you can never be sure no one will ever manage to get in, there are important steps you can take to make your profile secure again. If your Facebook has been hacked, here’s what to do.
Related: How to Never Get a Game Invite on Facebook Again
What to Do If Your Facebook Gets Hacked
There are three things we recommend you do when your Facebook account has been hacked. First, you need to look at the devices that are logged into your account; from there, you can delete the unauthorized device. Then we’ll go over changing your Facebook password and setting up two-factor verification for parts two and three.
Delete Unauthorized Devices & Change Your Password
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Open the Facebook app.
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Select the more tab, which is at the bottom right of the screen and looks like three horizontal lines.
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Scroll down and select Settings.
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Tap Account Settings.
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Select Security & Login.
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The second section will be titled Where You’re Logged In. Look at the list of devices; tap See More to see the full list.
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If there are any devices that seem like they shouldn’t have access, tap on the three dots next to the device info. (*The device you’re currently accessing Facebook on will say Active now in blue.)
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Tap on Not You?
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Tap Secure Account.
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Facebook will take a look at your account and look for recent changes. Then it’ll walk you through those changes to make sure they’re accurate, to turn on extra security, and to change your password. Tap Continue.
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First, it’ll ask you to Change Your Password. Enter your old password, then your new password twice. Tap Next.
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Now, it will check your apps. If any of the apps you see weren’t added by you, select them and tap delete. Or tap Skip.
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Then Facebook will show your recent activity. Go through and make sure none of the activity was done by someone other than you. Select any activity you want to delete and tap Delete at the bottom. Or tap Skip.
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Now Facebook will ask if you want Login Alerts. This is the best way to be sure no one is logging into your account without permission. If someone accesses Facebook from a new device or browser, you will get a notification. You can receive notifications via Facebook or by email (or both). Select how you want to receive alerts and tap Next.
All devices other than the one you’re using are now logged out of your Facebook account. So if you go to open Facebook on your computer, you’ll need to log in. Now, the last thing we recommend is setting up two-factor verification.
Set Up Two-Factor Verification
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Open the Facebook app.
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Select the more tab, which is at the bottom right of the screen and looks like three horizontal lines.
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Scroll down and select Settings.
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Tap Account Settings.
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Select Security & Login.
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Scroll down toward the bottom; under Setting Up Extra Security, tap Use Two-Factor Verification.
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At the top, check Two-factor authentication.
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Tap Start Setup.
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Make sure your phone number is correct and tap Continue.
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You’ll be sent a text message with your confirmation code. Enter the code and tap Continue.
Now your Facebook account is secure, and likely more protected than it’s ever been. And if anyone tries to hack into your account in the future, they won’t get very far.
Top Image Credit: NiP photography / Shutterstock.com
