How to get your hacked Instagram account back & how to avoid hacking problems

So you have a hacked Instagram account and you wonder how to recover it? Or you are lucky and it didn’t get hacked (yet), but you want to know how to best secure your Instagram account and what more you can do to avoid losing your account? You have come to the right place!

Those who follow me on Instagram know my Instagram account got hacked this week. I was totally devastated seeing all my hard work from the last 6 years and all my followers just disappear. The feelings that went through my mind and body that day were a horrible nightmare: panic, anxiety, extreme sadness, disappointment, desperation and anger. I felt all the energy drain from my body and I even started questioning my blog. Was it all worth it to start all over from scratch? How would I ever retrieve all those thousands of people who were following me?

Luckily I was able to recover my Instagram account myself, but not everyone is that lucky or knows how to do it. Because all these emotions were so heavy and I would hate it if this happened to any of you, I decided to share my Instagram hacking story with you and also how to avoid this happening to you! Here is my story and all my tips & tricks!

How to recover a hacked Instagram account and how to avoid hacking problems

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CONTENT:

• How my Instagram account got hacked
• How I recovered my Instagram account
• How to avoid getting hacked
• Tips & Tricks to recover your hacked Instagram account

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How my Instagram account got hacked

First I want to say I am not the type of person who just clicks on any link I receive in my mailbox or social media messages. I am always the first to notice the fake and the scams! The way my Instagram account got hacked was very smart and I still can’t believe it happened to me!

Find me on Instagram here!

The Instagram message

On Monday I posted a Reel video on Instagram. It was a video of me at a hobbit house in Belgium and I added a song from The Shire (Lord of The Rings) in my montage. So the sound did not came from a song I could choose while posting a Reel video on Instagram, but it was in the original video file.

That day I received an e-mail from Instagram, saying my video contained copyright protected material (the song) and that my video was shown in a limited number of countries. They included a list of all the countries where the video was still shown. The list was so long and included the biggest countries, so I did not take any action. After all they did not mention that my video or account would be taken down.

The next morning I received a message from Instagram in my direct messages. The message claimed I should take down my Reel video, since it contained copyright protected material. It also included a link to the report of the copyright claim. My account would be deleted in 24 hours if I did not remove the video.

So I did what any of you would have done probably! I deleted the video and I clicked the link to the report to make sure everything would be ok now. When I clicked the link, I needed to enter a code that was send to me via SMS, just like the codes you receive when you do the two-factor authentication. But after entering the code, nothing happened, the link did not work.

I did not think much about it, took my bike and left to the office.

The WhatsApp message

An hour later I wanted to check my Instagram account and I couldn’t log in. I received a notification “this username does not exist“. I logged in into my personal account which I normally never use and I saw my Instagram account with only a profile picture and no content.

At first I did not panic. I thought maybe I waited too long to remove the video and Instagram was blocking me for 24 hours. Even though I thought this would be a little too extreme. But then I received a WhatsApp message from a Lithuanian phone number saying they could recover my account for a small fee. That’s the moment I started realizing maybe my Instagram account got hacked.

How I recovered my Instagram account

Creating a new account with similar name

At noon I returned back home and I started to freak out. The first thing I did was creating a new Instagram account with a similar name (@world_wanderista_ in stead of @worldwanderista), in case people would start looking for me. Also to make sure, if I would not be able to recover my Instagram account, I could still own a username with World Wanderista in it.

Spreading the word

I wrote in the profile description of the new Instagram account that my Instagram account got hacked. So people could immediately see what happened. I added a few people of who I knew they were very active followers. I contacted a friend/follower who also checked my profile and kept letting me know what my account looked like. It was just gone by now!

Two other loyal followers sent me the name of ethical hackers who could help me to recover my account. I contacted one of them to make sure he could help me, if I would need it. I did not ask to help immediately, since I would have to pay him (obviously) and I wanted to check other options first.

Then I also posted a message on my Facebook page and profile that my Instagram account got hacked. In short: it is really important to inform as many people as possible! (Because in the end that is what actually saved my account!)

Contacting other victims who got hacked on Instagram

I contacted other bloggers of whom I knew their Instagram account got hacked as well in the past. But of course they did not see my messages directly because they probably ended up in requests since my new account was unknown to them.

Another friend of mine send me an account of someone who had experienced something similar the day before and who managed to get her Instagram account back. So I contacted her and she explained she hired IT people to fix her problem. Basically they kept checking photos of which they knew she liked them before she got hacked, until they found the account back with a changed username! And from there they were able to recover it (I don’t know how). I kept checking with people if they knew anyone who had knowledge about this stuff.

Reporting it to Instagram

Honestly when I tried to do this I got really frustrated. I kept scrolling through all the options but there wasn’t a real option to report a hacked account. The problem is if you or someone else is able to report your hacked account as “pretending to be someone else” the risk exists Instagram will erase that account! There is no option to report “this account got hacked”. And then everything is lost. So I didn’t dare doing that and just send an e-mail to security@mail.instagram.com but I don’t think they ever read these e-mails.

Trying to find the new username of the hacked Instagram account

Actually the combination of all of the above (except the Instagram reporting part) saved my account! Around 6.45 pm I suddenly received a screenshot of my hacked Instagram account from 3 followers who knew about the hacking. It had a new username; yasinmevlut18k and apparently my Stories popped up on my followers’ pages.

And then it all came down to fast thinking and acting! I immediately wrote down the username and tried to login straight from my phone with that username! Since I had once chosen the option to be able to login without a password straight from my device, apparently I could still enter my account! You can not believe the emotions that went through my body at that time! Adrenaline rush for sure!

Securing the account at the speed of light

I immediately went to the security section and I saw this bastard was online! This really made my heart jump! I made a screenshot of his location and I rushed to the password section. Unfortunately I couldn’t change it, because that bastard had already changed the password of course. From then on it all is a little vague because of the adrenaline, but I think I acted as if I forgot the password. That way I could change the phone number and the password again. I changed my Facebook password because that account was linked to my Instagram account as well.

In the profile I changed my username to @world_wanderista and also changed the e-mail address into mine again. Then I changed the password again on my Instagram account to make sure he could not enter anymore.

And thàt, my dear friends, is how I recovered my hacked Instagram account!

How to avoid getting hacked

Never trust Instagram direct messages

The first lesson I had to learn the hard way is that Instagram only sends notifications and e-mails, NOT direct messages. The hackers had sent me a direct message with very relevant information that looked as if it came from Instagram directly.

Don’t click unknown links in direct messages

The direct message that seemed to come from Instagram included a link. In this case they claimed it was a link to a copyright claim report. After clicking the link I needed to enter a code that was sent by Instagram. I think it is here where it all started. Unfortunately I can not share the correct and trustworthy SMS number of Instagram, because I have so many different numbers from SMS messages with IG verification codes from that day, that I have no clue which ones are the real deal and which ones are not.

Check your e-mail for Instagram warnings

This is something I forgot to do, probably because I was at the office that morning. If I had checked my e-mail, I had seen the e-mail from Instagram stating that someone logged in with a device I don’t use and from a location I have never been! I could have secured my account via that e-mail immediately probably. I will never know (I hope), but I thought it was worth mentioning for you!

Official e-mail addresses from Instagram:
security@mail.instagram.com
no-reply@mail.instagram.com

Use all the possible Instagram security measures

Instagram contains a lot of security options. Before my Instagram account got hacked, there was only one option I did not use and honestly I never went through all the options in the security settings before. So here I will sum up all the features and show the security measures you really need to check and use! I suggest to take your phone and go through the features I mention.

Security Measures in Settings

Password

Choose a difficult password containing a long non obvious word with small and capital letters, numbers and symbols. From now on I will change it regularly.

Login Activity

This section shows the login activity of your account. If it mentions any unknown activity, take a screenshot and log the unknown user out by clicking the three dots. Then change your password immediately and check all your other security info (the info I will mention in this article).

Saved Login Info

I am pretty sure this section is one of the main reasons why I was able to recover my account. By enabling this feature you will never have to login again with a password. The account info will be remembered on your phone. Make sure you enable it!

Two-Factor Authentication

This section is also very important! Do not only enter your phone number here, so Instagram can send you an SMS. But also make sure you get an authentication app. I use Duo Mobile. Basically this app generates new codes on your phone every 30 seconds, which you link with your Instagram account.

Since it all went wrong with me trusting SMS messages from Instagram (at least I thought it was Instagram), I highly recommend to use the authentication app. These are codes that are only visible on your own phone. So no one gets access to them AND that way you don’t need the Instagram SMS option and you are sure to not use any codes that have been sent to you by a hacker! So the risk of using hacker codes becomes a lot lower.

Last but not least you will also find account recovery codes in this section. These are codes you can use when you don’t have your phone (if it got stolen for example). Save these codes in a place where you can easily find them (but not on your phone obviously).

E-mails from Instagram

This is an interesting feature because this is the place where you can check which e-mails (the real) Instagram has sent you. If you think you received a sketchy e-mail claiming to be Instagram, you can check here if it really came from Instagram or not.

Access Data

Here you can check all the important data of your account; password changes, former e-mail addresses (that’s how I know the hacker’s e-mail address), former phone numbers (Yup, also have the phone numbers of the bastards!), former usernames etc. It contains a lot of data, but these are the most important regarding getting hacker’s info.

Apps & websites

I have a website with my Instagram account linked to it. The plugin I use for this is mentioned in this section. Make sure to also check this section, because you never know if the hackers linked your account with some hacker system.

PAYMENT IN SETTINGS

I do not use this, but if you do, check if you added a pincode. If you add a pin code the hacker won’t be able to do payments with your credit card.

ACCOUNT IN SETTINGS

Personal data

Make sure this section contains your own e-mail address and phone number. (The hacker entered his own data here)

Activity

Here you will find the links you clicked, including the hacker’s link if you clicked it via Instagram. Make sure not to click it again!

Profile

Verify your e-mail address in the contact options. Also check your personal information settings again here (e-mail address and phone number).

Tips & Tricks to recover your hacked Instagram account (a wrap up)

Create a second Instagram account (in advance)

As a back up

Make sure to create a second Instagram account with a similar name right now (If you don’t have it already) even if you did not get hacked yet. You will have a back up with your name in case your account disappears forever.

To contact your followers

You can mention in the profile description that your main account was hacked. Add your most active followers and friends so they know what happened.

To find the new username of your hacked account

Another important reason to create this account is that you can follow your main account with it. Make sure you activate all notifications on this account from your main account. If your main account gets stolen, you will receive a notification when the hacker posts something. You will see it in your feed and you will be able to find the username (I suggest to also create a third one with a completely different name, in case the hacker blocks that similar named account).

Also like the first (& only) photo you post on your back up account. This will be another way to find the new username of your hacked account! Make sure this account has a different password!

Enable the Save Login Info (in advance)

When your Instagram account gets hacked, this could be helpful to log back in when you know the new username. You will not need to enter a password, because Instagram saved the login info on your phone. I think this one saved me!
You can find in Settings – Security – Save Login Info.

Let everyone know

The more people know about your stolen Instagram account, the more likely you will find someone who will help you. Whether it is to notify you that your account has changed username or to help you hack your account back. You would be surprised who is willing to help you!

Contact other victims

I am sure you know others whose Instagram account got hacked. Get in touch with them. Ask how they were able to recover it. Try to collect as much information as you can. It surely helped me when that lady told me to focus on finding the new username to find my account back!

React fast once you found your account back

Like already mentioned; be fast once you know the new username and you had the Save Login Info enabled! You will normally be able to log back into your account with the new username! And from then on it is all about securing your account as quick as possible!

Contact ethical hackers

If you are not able to retrieve your account with all the tips I gave you, it is time to contact an ethical hacker. I received one name of an ethical hacker that is able to recover hacked Instagram accounts.

The most famous one is probably @Juan325 because I got his name from two sources. It speaks for itself they ask for a fee. But I think it is awesome what they can do (they did it for other bloggers who were less lucky than I), so they are worth the money!

Report it to Instagram

I add it as a last option to recover your hacked Instagram account, simply because I have never heard a story about a hacked account that received help from Instagram. Which I think is simply outrageous.
You could try to call (650)543-4800 or e-mail support@instagram.com, but it is unlikely you’ll ever get a response.

Go to the police and file a complaint

Last but not least. Go with all your screenshots and information to the local police. Lately every police district has a cyber crime department. I made screenshots of everything. Of my hacked account, his phone numbers, his e-mail address, the Whatsapp message, the e-mails from Instagram with the other location… everything I could find in the app.

You might think, “Local police won’t do much”, but if everyone reports this, the problem will get bigger recognition! I have my appointment next week, so I’ll update this post with my experience at the police as well!

If you want to help me a little please share this “How to recover your hacked Instagram account” article on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or any kind of social media. A small thing for you to do that can make a big difference for me and others! Massive thanks!
If you like the pictures in this article, I suggest to follow my Instagram account where you can find a lot more!
Don’t hesitate to leave comments or questions down below!

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