Quick answer
Use official recovery routes and close the paths an intruder may have left open.
- Start with: Use the platform's official recovery page
- Finish with: Tell contacts what happened
- Pause if: Avoid recovery agents in comments
Primary sources for this guide: FTC: Protect personal information from hackers and scammers; IdentityTheft.gov: Identity theft recovery steps. Check the source that applies to your location and situation before acting.
Know when to escalate: If the situation involves immediate danger, suspected crime, serious health symptoms or a deadline with major legal or financial consequences, contact the appropriate local emergency service, official body or qualified professional.
A step-by-step plan
Use the platform's official recovery page
Type the platform address yourself and follow its compromised-account flow. Ignore people in comments who offer paid recovery or private contacts.
Secure the linked email first
Change the email password and review its sessions and forwarding rules. Social recovery fails if an intruder still controls the linked inbox.
Because social-account recovery often depends on the linked inbox, also review How to Secure Your Email Account.
Remove unknown sessions and apps
Revoke devices, third-party apps and sessions you cannot identify. Then inspect profile details, advertising access and recent messages for changes.
Tell contacts what happened
Warn contacts through another channel if possible. Say what kind of messages to ignore without repeating malicious links or unverified claims.
If a suspicious message is part of the problem, use the Scam Message Red-Flag Checker.
Common mistakes and warning signs
Use these checks as reasons to slow down and verify the situation. One warning sign alone does not settle every case.
- Avoid recovery agents in comments
- Save case numbers
- Check changed profile details
Progress checkpoints
| Checkpoint | What you should have |
|---|---|
| Before acting | Use the platform's official recovery page |
| Before finishing | Tell contacts what happened |
| Reason to pause | Avoid recovery agents in comments |
Final checklist
Checklist state stays in this browser tab and is not sent to Help.You.
Sources and further verification
Rules and official processes vary by country and can change. Use the responsible organization for your location and situation. These starting points may cover a different jurisdiction.
Help.You editors structured this page around the task sequence, reviewed it for avoidable risk and checked that its claims stay within general informational scope. Read our content process.