Hacked social media: locking it down and the "friend in need" scam
Social accounts are a favourite target, because once someone controls yours, they can scam everyone who trusts you. Two things matter: locking yours down, and recognizing when a friend's account has been taken over.
The "friend in need" scam
A message from a friend's account asks for money, gift cards, or crypto, shares a "great opportunity", or sends a link. Their account has most likely been hijacked. Verify by reaching your friend another way (a call, in person) before you act. Scammers take over accounts precisely to ask that person's trusted contacts.
The recovery-code scam
Someone messages that they "accidentally" sent a verification code to your phone and asks you to send it back. Do not. That code is to take over YOUR account; sharing it hands them the keys. Nobody legitimate needs a code that was sent to you.
If your account is hacked
Use the platform's official "account hacked" or account-recovery page. Change your password, and your email password too if that could have been reached, since email can reset everything else. Turn on multi-factor authentication, remove any unknown connected apps, log out other sessions, and warn your contacts.
Prevent it
A long, unique password (a password manager makes this painless) plus multi-factor authentication on every account. Most takeovers start with a password reused from a site that was breached, or a phishing link.
The short version
- A "friend" asking for money, gift cards, or a code is often a hacked account; verify another way.
- Never share a verification or one-time code someone asks you to send back.
- If hacked, use the platform's official recovery flow, change passwords, and turn on MFA.
- Prevent it with a unique password plus MFA on every account.
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Common questions
My friend is messaging me asking for money. Is it really them?
Treat it as their account being hacked until you confirm. Contact your friend a different way, by calling or in person. Scammers take over accounts specifically to ask that person's trusted contacts for money.
Someone asked me to send them a code I received. Should I?
Never. A code sent to your phone is to take over YOUR account. Anyone asking you to read back a verification or one-time code is trying to hijack it.
How do I get a hacked account back?
Use the platform's official "hacked account" or recovery page. Change your password (and your email's, if that was reached), turn on MFA, remove unknown connected apps, and warn your contacts.