Instagram Account Hacked: How to Recover It

To recover your hacked Instagram account, follow Instagram’s recommended recovery steps, which might involve confirming your identity and securing your account. If the first option doesn’t work, you can also request Instagram support.

There are a few things more frustrating than having your Instagram business page hacked. It’s even worse when the hacker deactivates the account because it’s more challenging to recover it. But the good news is that you can still recover a hacked Instagram account, even when they change your email.

This guide provides a step-by-step process for recovering your hacked Instagram account. Read on to learn how hackers steal Instagram accounts and how to prevent hacking in the future.

How to recover a hacked Instagram account

Use the two options below to recover your hacked IG account:

Option 1: Use Instagram’s recovery methods

If you receive an email from Instagram informing you that someone has changed your email, follow Instagram’s recovery methods to recover your hacked account.

Here are the steps:

#1: Undo email change to secure your account

If the hacker changes your email address, Instagram might inform you about the changes via email.

So,

• Check if your email inbox has a message from “security@mail.instagram.com.”
• Select “Secure account” on the message to undo the email changes by the hacker.
• You should recover your email address after completing this step.

Note: If the hacker has already changed your password and you can’t undo the changes, request a security code or login link from Instagram.

#2: Confirm your identity via a login link from Instagram

Instagram allows you to confirm your identity if a hacker (or someone else) has accessed your account and changed the login details.

Here’s how to request a login link from Instagram:

• Go to Instagram’s login page and click “Forgot password.”

• Enter your phone number or email associated with your Instagram account.
• Click “Send login link” if you can access the phone number or email address you’ve selected above. A confirmation window will appear after Instagram sends the login link to the email or phone number.

• Go to your email, click the login link, and follow the on-screen steps to recover your account.

Note: I’ve discussed the steps under “Verify your identity.”

If you can’t access the email or phone number associated with your account, go to the Instagram support page for help. More on this below.

#3: Request support or a security code 

If the login link doesn’t work, request Instagram to send a security code via a secure email to recover your account.

Alternatively, request Instagram support via your mobile phone.

To do this:

• Enter a secure email that only you can access. Instagram will send you a security code via email. 
• Follow the given steps to recover your account.

Note: I’ve discussed the steps below:

#4:Verify your identity

Instagram may ask you to verify your account to recover it from the hacker.

This method works after you’ve received a login link or security code from Instagram to secure your account.

Here’s what to do:

• Go to your email (or message) inbox and check out for the login link or security code.
• Use the verification code on the login page. Instagram will then ask you to confirm your identity using a video selfie or friends’ confirmation.
• Take and submit a video selfie if you have your real photos on your IG account.
• If you have no photos, choose the second option, which is to ask friends to confirm the account is yours.
• Select two friends from a list of about ten IG (be sure that they’ll respond).
• Instagram will send a verification request to your friends and activate your account after their confirmation.

Note: Instagram may take a few minutes or hours to confirm your verification. If your request is denied, try again.

Watch this YouTube video by Jared Quackenbush for more details on this recovery method.

Option 2: Request Instagram support

Request Instagram support if a hacker has accessed your account and you can’t log in.

Here’s what to do:

• Step 1: Visit Instagram’s Help Center, scroll down on the left menu bar to the “Privacy, Security and Reporting section.” 
• Click “Login and Passwords.”

• Step 2: Select “Hacked Instagram account” from the drop-down menu. A page showing the next step will appear.

• Step 3: Select the first option, “If you think your Instagram account has been hacked.” 
• Step 4: Click “visit this page” to access the Instagram support page.

• Step 5: From the options given, select ‘My account was hacked’ and then click “Next.”

• Step 4: Enter your email, phone number, or username and then click “Next” to identify your account. 

This action will take you back to the Help Center under the “I can’t log in” section.

• Step 5: Choose one of the options given, including “Recovering your password,” “Confirming your identity,” or “Restoring a disabled account.”

Note: This method might take you around in circles. But be patient and keep trying all the available options until you finally access your account. You should also keep looking if the hacker has re-activated the account. As soon as you see that it’s active, try the recovery steps again.

Common ways hackers get access to your IG account

Hackers may use the following methods to access your account.

Way 1: Hackers use phishing attacks

Hackers use phishing attacks to get sensitive information about your Instagram account and then access it.

Phishing is a form of social engineering in which a hacker pretends to be someone you know or trust. They create fake emails, usernames, or websites and use them to trick you into sharing sensitive information.

For instance, the hacker might send you a DM as one of your friends. They’ll tell you to open a link or attachment in the message. Following the link will most likely direct you to a fake website or page where the hacker steals your personal details. Then, they’ll use this information to access your IG account.

Another common scam is when hackers send you an email claiming to be Meta or Instagram support. If you click on the link they share, you lose access to your account immediately.

Here’s an example of a hacker pretending to be Meta. 

But check the hacker’s email:

So, if you receive an email claiming to be from Meta or Instagram, check the sender’s email and confirm that it ends in one of the following ways:

• @meta.com
• @internal.metamail.com
• @go.metamail.com

You can also report the malicious email to “phish@instagram.com.”

Way 2: They crack weak passwords

Hackers can easily guess a weak password and use it to access your IG account.

If you’ve used a password like “12345” or your name, your Instagram account will be an easy target for hackers.

Also, reusing the same password across multiple accounts is risky. If a data breach occurs, a hacker might easily get your password and log into your IG account.

Way 3: Hackers access your IG account using third-party Apps

Third-party accounts are an easy bypass for hackers to steal your Instagram account.

Have you ever thought of the many times you allowed third-party apps access to your Instagram account? For instance, you could use a third-party app to schedule your Instagram posts or suggest the best time to post.

If the third-party app is not well secured, hackers can easily access your IG password and use it to access your account. 

In other instances, downloading an app can redirect you to a compromised website where hackers can steal your personal details.

Way 4: They get your personal details on public Wi-Fi networks

Unsecured public Wi-Fi networks are great places for hackers to access sensitive information.

If you log into your IG account via such a network, hackers will steal your login details and hack your account.

Hackers sometimes create fake Wi-Fi hotspots to lure you into connecting to them. When you try to connect, they capture your personal details and use them to hack your IG account.

Way 5: Hackers use malware to steal sensitive information

Malware (malicious software) can give hackers access to your device without your knowledge and steal sensitive information like log-in details.

Malware usually gets on your device when you download free programs, games, movies, or TV shows from file-sharing sites. It can also happen when you visit compromised websites or open attachments in spam emails.

To prevent malware from installing on your device, you can use an antivirus like Kaspersky and enable your device’s firewall or other security settings. You should also update your device’s software regularly to have the latest security settings.

Tips to prevent getting hacked on Instagram

Here’s how you can keep your Instagram account safe, preventing it from getting hacked:

• Use Instagram’s Security Checkup App to check your login activity, confirm accounts that share login information, or review your profile details.
• Update the phone number(s) and email address(es) associated with your account. If someone tries to hack your account, you’ll easily access the security code on your email or phone.
• Enable two-factor authentication to secure your IG account. With this security feature, you must enter a verification code after entering your password whenever you want to log into your account. 
• Verify any emails you get with the Meta domain names. Hackers may create fake emails impersonating Meta platforms (Facebook and Instagram). Always verify them, and never give sensitive information if the emails appear suspicious.
• Use strong passwords for all your accounts. Use combinations of letters (upper and lower case), numbers, and punctuation marks to create strong passwords. Hackers will not guess such passwords.
• Avoid sharing personal details on your DM. Since hackers can impersonate your friends, don’t give sensitive information like your phone number or email via your DM. Also, note that Instagram never communicates via DMs (they use emails).

FAQs

Check out another review on Quorage:

• What to do when Facebook business page is hacked