If you noticed that your Snapchat was hacked, there are very specific steps that you need to follow in order to report the issue to Snapchat, and to get your account back.
Social media accounts, including Snapchat, frequently get hacked. There are a few things you can do to prevent hacking including using only strong passwords. Strong passwords typically are at least eight characters long, use a combination of numbers, letters, and symbols, use both uppercase and lowercase letters, do not use common words or phrases, don't use personal information such as a birthday, and don't cross-use passwords across accounts. Additionally, you should change your password every couple of months for heightened security.
If you think your Snapchat account has been hacked but you're not entirely positive, here's how you know. Hackers don't always immediately lock you out of your own account by changing the password and username, so it can be difficult to tell when you've been hacked. If you can catch on that you've been hacked early, you can gain control of your account again by changing the password and locking the hacker out.
Some of the signs to look out for when you've been hacked include:
Your friends and family tell you they've been receiving spam messages from your account
Your friends and family tell you they've been receiving messages from your account asking for money or personal information
You receive an alert that the account has been signed into from a different location or the account information has been changed
You notice that the phone number or email address (or both) associated with the account has been changed
You notice other account settings have been changed
You are noticing people in your friends list that you don't know or can't remember adding and approving
You are asked to re-login in every time
You are suddenly unable to login to your account
If you notice any of these signs and you believe your Snapchat account has been hacked, you have to act quickly to recover it. Follow these simple steps:
If you can still access your account, and you think you've been hacked, change your password immediately. Go through your settings and revert them back to match your details (ensure your email address and phone number are listed). Warn your friends and family that you were hacked so they can ignore any messages that were sent to them.
If you can't log in to your account anymore, try the 'Forgot My Password' method. If the hacker forgot to change the phone number on the account, you may be able to retrieve control of the account again.
If that doesn't work, you will have to contact Snapchat Customer Support to get help with the recovery of your account. Go to the Snapchat support page at https://support.snapchat.com.
Select 'My Account & Security' from the menu bar on the left of the screen.
Next, select 'Account Security.'
From the list of options that appear, select 'My account is hacked.'
You will be giving a list of options you can go through for recovering your account. We've already taken you through this list. If you don't see any new options you can try, scroll to the bottom of the page and next to 'If you are still having trouble with your account, please contact us' select the highlighted 'contact us.'
You will be redirected to a new page with a form. Select 'My account login' under 'How can we help?'
Under 'Oh no! Tell us more…' select 'I think my account has been hacked' from the list of options.
Once again, details will appear suggesting you try to retrieve your account by changing your password. Next to 'Need help with something else?' at the bottom of the page, select 'Yes.'
Fill out the form that appears. You will need to provide your username, email address, mobile number, and details in an explanation box. Provide as many details as possible to ensure Snapchat can help in the account recovery process as quickly as possible.
Select 'Send.'
You will receive a decision in the inbox of the email associated with your Snapchat account. If the Snapchat team believes the account is yours, they may give you access to reset the password one time. They may ask you additional questions to verify the account is yours.
If Snapchat cannot verify your account, you will have to create a new account and say goodbye to your previous account. You should tell all your friends and family to delete your old username so that they aren't in contact with the hacker.
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