You get a notification in your Facebook account then try to open the Facebook app on your mobile and see that your Facebook account is suspended as one of your Instagram accounts is not following Meta guidelines. You can’t remember if you have ever created that Instagram account. Then you check your mobile text and then find that a Two-factor authentication code is sent to your mobile. Which means someone tried to log in to your Facebook account. This is a nightmare and scary thing to happen right? So, how to recover hacked Facebook account?
The exact message was “Your Facebook account was suspended because your Instagram account xxxxx doesn’t follow our rules. You have 180 days left to appeal. Log in to your linked Instagram account to appeal our decision.”
The exact thing happened to me over the weekend and I was scared as well. I had the two-factor authentication code with me and still someone was able to access my Facebook account and was able to create an Instagram account which does not follow Meta community guidelines and policies. So, my Facebook account was suspended! As the only option was to appeal for the suspended Facebook account within 180 days (otherwise your account will get deleted permanently), I have downloaded my Facebook data first (which was an option) and then click on the Appeal via Instagram (as my Facebook account was linked to Instagram). But, the prompt did not take me to the next step.
Then I went to my Instagram app, luckily I had access to the Instagram account and from notification center found that my Facebook account was removed from my Instagram Account under Account Center. I was shocked and I did not know how to how to recover my 17 years old Facebook account or how to apply for appeal.
Being a cyber security professional, at this stage, I knew I had to keep myself cool. So, what I did is started looking for ways to contact Facebook. I have got few blogs and vlogs where it was mentioned how to contact Facebook. Not all worked for me only one option worked. However, I am going to mention all here cause may be for your the other options might work as well.
Option 1:
In one blog I have found the link where you can acctually report “My Account is compromised”. The link is www.facebook.com/hacked . However, this did not work for me may be because my account was suspended. However, if your Facebook account is hacked and you cannot access, you may use this link and inform Facebook.
Option 2 for How to Recover Hacked Facebook Account:
The second option I have tried is Instagram hacked and then selected the option “Something else” but it did not match my scenario as well. Because I was able to access my Instagram account but my Facebook account was removed from Facebook account center. So, this did not match my scenario as well.
Option 3:
This option I have got this from a Reditt post (which has explained how to recover hacked Facebook account) and also from a YouTube video. However, this is for European Union listed countries only. If you are not one of theose countries, you may need to access the site using VPN and set the location in of the EU countries. I have set up my one as France.
The link is Single Point of Contact for Users in EU Member States .
- choose: “Hacked request (account was hacked, and the account recovery options in product are not sufficient)”
- What is your preferred contact email address? (preferred contact email address)
- What is the username for the Facebook profile experiencing access issues? Login in your suspendet account. Download the your data file from facebook, you will find in the file a folder personal_information > profile_information with profile_information.html. The profile_information.html contains your username, copy it 😉
- New secure email address: your new secure email address
- Select the date of your last login, or when you were last active on the account. (i think they mean the last “normal login” date, before the hack and suspended status)
- Select the date that you noticed you lost access.
- Sign-up email address/phone number I filled my phone number
- Most recent email address/phone number
- What device(s) do you typically use to access your account (e.g. device + operating system)? (i give the laptop model + smartphone model, to make it easier to understand i am the real account owner)
- Please provide usernames to any other Facebook or Instagram accounts which you still have access to If you have…copy the username
- Please provide a summary of what happened (e.g. the circumstances surrounding why you lost access) Please provide a summary of what happened (e.g. the circumstances surrounding why you lost access)
I have got reply from them after 48 hours, however, as I have put the wrong Facebook username, it did not work. But it was my mistake. There is a high chance that it might wrok for you, specially if reside in a country which is part of EU.
Option 4: Which has actually worked for me: (This option will explain about how to recover hacked Facebook account)
After reading in several blog posts and also as this was mentioned in several Reditt threads, I though I should give it a try and it was literally only option left for me.
The option is to get premium support from Meta Verified customer support.
How will you get verified support?
If you have an Instagram account, go to Settings and activity >> Meta Verified and then subscribe to the verified option. For me the charge was 16 NZD for one month.
Once you pay and click to get verified, as part of the process, you will have to provide your photo ID. Once you submit, if the photo ID matches with your account details, you will get verified soon.
Once you get verified, the “Get support” option will become available for you. Then you need to go to that option and then need to click on connect with support. Where you need to go to option “Account access”.
Once you are there, need to select “Something else” and then describe that you do not have your Facebook access or your Facebook account is suspended. Also try to add as much information as you can.
Once you add all those information and submit, a support window will open where you will be able to chat with a real human.
I have described my situation to the agent, provided my account name, date of birth, current location, associated email address etc.
Once the above were submitted, the agent asked for a new email address which is not associated with any Instagram or Facebook account. I have created one Gmail account earlier and provided that email address.
Then the agent confirmed a case is created for my incident, given me a number as well and then mentioned that I will get a reply within 24/48 hours. After 24+Hrs, I have got a reply in Instagram chat support that a link has been sent to reset my Facebook account to the new email address that I have provided.
I have reset my password by clicking the link and then entered some other necessary information and was guided to the window where it has given me the option to appeal for my suspended account.
I had to submit my photo ID and upload a recent selfie and submitted my appeal.
Withing 24 hours, my Facebook account was activated again and I have full access to my Facebook account.
Things to consider for security:
- Please enable Two-factor authentication for your Facebook account or any other account for extra layer for security. Even if Two-factor authentication was on for my account, I am not sure how this has happened cause my Two-factor authentication code was with me which I have not shared with anyone.
- Please add backup recovery option for your account.
- Make sure your profile information is not public to everyone. By copying your information people can pretend to be yourself and can get access to your account.