Instagram is a social media platform where you may share photos of yourself or your friends and family. In either case, losing access to something as a result of a hacked account might be highly inconvenient.
Instagram is currently widely used as a primary social media platform by many people. As a result, in addition to your shared photographs, you risk losing all of your contacts. If you use Instagram for business purposes, such as marketing your own brand or company, the loss can be even more noticeable.
Here’s how to recover a hacked Instagram account, as well as some steps you can do to prevent it from happening again.
How Can Your Instagram Account Be Hacked?
In most cases, gaining access to your Instagram account is difficult. Only if the hacker has your contact information, such as your email address, phone number, and password, is this possible. They can obtain those in a variety of ways.
The most obvious is a password that is too easy to guess. If you use a password that is obvious or weak, a hacker may be able to guess it. If you use the same login credentials for many services, a hacker may be able to obtain your information via a separate platform. Because password breaches are so widespread, it’s a good idea to check if you’ve been hacked on a regular basis, even if you don’t see any evidence.
A phishing attempt is another popular approach for scammers to obtain your personal information. You click on a link supplied to you via email or elsewhere, enter your username and password, and your information is delivered to a hacker. Before entering your information, be sure you’re on the correct domain. It’s www.instagram.com for Instagram.
What Are the Signs That You’ve Been Hacked?
Scammers will usually change your email and phone number, as well as your username, once they get your Instagram information. The next stage is to demand a ransom for your Instagram account to be returned to you.
Unfortunately, even if you agree to pay the fee, there’s a good possibility your Instagram account will be deleted regardless.
How To Recover An Instagram Account That Has Been Hacked
The most important thing to remember here is to act quickly. According to Instagram, after 14 weeks from the time you lose access to your account, it becomes nearly difficult to regain it.
Follow the instructions below to recover your hacked Instagram account if you realise you’ve been logged out and can’t manage to log back in.
- Using Email, Recover Your Hacked Instagram Account
- Check your inbox for an Instagram message. If your account was hacked, you’ll receive a fresh email alerting you to suspicious behaviour or changes to your account information.
- You may be able to reverse this change if you act quickly enough using the URL supplied in that email. After that, get into your Instagram account and change your password. If it fails, move on to the next step.
Instagram will send you a login link if you ask for it.
- If you still can’t log in to Instagram, you can request that a login link be sent to your email address or phone number.
- Go to Instagram’s sign-in page.
- Forgot your password? (iOS) or Need help signing in? (Android).
- You will then be sent to the Trouble Logging In? (iOS) or Login Help (Android) pages.
- To get the link, enter your email address or phone number and then select Send Login Link (iOS) or Next (Android).
You can access your Instagram account by clicking the login link in an email or SMS message from Instagram. After you log back in, make sure you update your password.
With a Security Code, You Can Recover Your Instagram Account
- If the login link technique fails, you can use a security code to recover your compromised Instagram account.
- Click Forgot password? (iOS) or Get help with logging in on the Instagram login page (Android).
- Click Need More Help? at the bottom of the following screen.
- Choose an email address or a phone number where you’d want Instagram to send you the security code. Then press the Send Security Code button.
- Enter the code from the message on the following screen and click Confirm.
Instagram should be notified about the hacked account.
If all else fails, your last resort is to report your account and contact Instagram for assistance in regaining access to your account.
To do so, navigate to the screen that says “Help Us Recover Your Account.” Instead of requesting the security code, choose I can’t access this email or phone number this time.
Fill out the form on the following page with your account information, select My account was hacked, and then click Request Support.
Verify Your Personal Information
You’ll be prompted to verify your identification when you hear from Instagram. Taking an Instagram selfie is one method to accomplish it.
You’ll receive a code from the platform, and you’ll need to photograph yourself holding a piece of paper with the code written on it. The staff will then compare the photo to your shared photos to see if you are the account’s legitimate owner.
How Do You Keep Your Instagram Account Safe?
Taking the following security precautions is the best method to keep your Instagram account safe from hackers.
Use a strong password that you change on a regular basis.
Using a strong, unique password for your Instagram account can go a long way toward preventing scammers from gaining access to your account information. If you have trouble remembering login information for many networks, use a password manager.
On Instagram, enable two-factor authentication.
Adding two-factor authentication to your account will make it more secure. After you turn it on, you’ll be prompted to input a security code texted to your phone number in addition to your Instagram password when you log in.
Access to third-party apps should be revoked.
Make sure you don’t have access to your account information if you’ve ever used Instagram to log into third-party apps or websites you don’t use anymore.
Follow the path Menu > Settings > Security > Apps and websites to review those apps.
Make it difficult to hack your Instagram account.
It can be extremely difficult and inconvenient to recover your accounts if scammers have gained access to them. Preventative actions to secure your critical accounts are a more effective approach to protect yourself against hackers.
Has your Instagram account ever been hacked? What method did you use to reclaim your access? Let us know how much you know about Instagram in the comments section below.
