Someone got in, then Instagram shut it down

Order matters

1. Change the password on the email linked to Instagram and turn on two-step login there.
2. Go to instagram.com/hacked and choose the option that fits.
3. In the appeal, give the date you lost access and what you saw, such as a changed email.
4. Warn friends that messages sent from your account were not you.

Keep evidence

Save the emails from Instagram about a changed email or password. They often contain a link to undo the change and they show the timeline.

What to do first

Here is the fuller version, step by step.

1. Take back the email account first. Change its password, sign out other sessions, and check forwarding rules.
2. Look for the change-alert email from the platform; many include a link to undo the change.
3. Use the platform's hacked page: instagram.com/hacked or facebook.com/hacked for Meta, Report a problem on TikTok, Snapchat Support's hacked form.
4. Secure business assets: remove unknown admins, partners and apps, and pause ads.
5. Tell friends and followers that recent messages may be fake. Call your bank about any charges.

What to have ready

• The original email and phone on the account.
• The device you normally use.
• Change-alert emails with dates.
• Photos or videos of yourself, for a selfie check.
• Bank statements showing unknown charges.

How to word it

• Give the approximate time it started and what changed (email, phone, name).
• Say what you have done since: email secured, password changed.

Things that slow it down

• Paying a hacker who offers to return the account.
• Using 'recovery' services that ask for your password or codes.
• Clicking links in messages that claim to be from the platform.

After you send it

• Report fraud to the police or your national fraud service if money was taken.
• Remove sessions and devices you do not recognise.
• Change passwords on other accounts that shared the same password.
• Turn on two-factor with an authenticator app or passkey and save backup codes.

When to ask for help

• The account was disabled after the hacker used it.
• A Business Portfolio or ad account was taken.
• Both the email and phone were changed.

What to send

• Your username or profile link.
• A screenshot of the notice or error, with the date visible.
• Which email or phone is on the account (just which one, never a code).
• What happened before it started, in a few lines.

Please do not send passwords, login codes, card numbers or access tokens.

How it works with Ban Help

1. Message us on WhatsApp or email with the username and a screenshot of the notice.
2. We tell you honestly whether this is something we can help with. Terms are agreed with you before any work starts.
3. We prepare the appeal and the supporting details, to go through the platform’s own channels.
4. We stay in touch while you wait. The platform makes the final decision, and nobody can promise the outcome.

About Ban Help

Ban Help is an independent account recovery service. We help people and businesses with disabled, suspended, hacked and locked accounts on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat and Threads, Meta ad accounts and Business Manager, username claims and impersonation reports. Contact: WhatsApp +1 934 201 2490 or team@unbanz.com. Independent service. Not affiliated with Meta.