If you have a social media account, you’re going to want to understand the basic signs someone has or is trying to hack your account.
Tips for protecting yourself from hackers
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- Expert recommends using an email that is not your main email address when making social media accounts.
- Don’t use your cell phone number. Use an authenticator app for two-factor authentication.
Ryan Meray with C!Tech Solutions in Ferndale said he runs into a case of account theft, loss, identity theft, or fraud at least once every couple of months. It’s not a service he advertises, so it’s usually something he sees happen to existing clients or friends and family.
“The amount of information I need and access with the affected party to work on these cases is not something folks should trust to someone they have just met,” he said.
Meray said the absolute best thing people can do is to not use their main email address as the email on their account.
“If the email address you’re using is one that nobody has, it’s really hard to initiate password recovery and, you know, hack attempts on it because they don’t know what the email address is,” he said.
Meray also said people should be using two-factor authentication, but not with their cell phone numbers. Use an authenticator app.
“If you do those two things, it’s going to make your account basically bulletproof, short of you getting socially engineered into giving up the authentication stuff to a hacker,” he said.
Signs you’ve been hacked
You should be able to recognize the signs that you’ve been hacked or that someone is trying to hack you.
Some of those signs include:
- Your profile picture changing without your permission.
- Your password or phone number has been changed without your permission.
- Your account username has been changed without your permission.
- Your posts have been deleted or changed without your permission.
- Messages from your account are being sent but you didn’t send them.
How to recognize an imposter or hacked account
According to Meray, if an account has been hacked you’ll see things that are out of character. Watch out for people trying to sell things for cash very quickly, or promote products that you wouldn’t expect them to.
If you get a message from a friend asking you to click a link or send them a code -- that’s a red flag.
Meray recommended that if you think a friend’s account has been hacked to contact them via some other means -- not directly through the hacked social media page.
What to do if you’re hacked
- If you still have access to your account you should immediately change your password and remove unwanted or suspicious devices.
- After that, the next step is to report it.