Love it or hate it, chances are that you own a Facebook account – either by being dragged into it by friends, family or employers, 9 out of 10 people hold an account. I was one those who were badgered into creating an account by a close friend of mine, around 8 years ago.
At first I really didn’t want it or know what to do with it. Then I realized that they had games…that was enough for me to become hooked, and I started to access my account every day, then several times a day, and now every 20 minutes or so, I am on for one reason or another.
Adding friends is easy, and soon I went from one single friend to 200. Finding out that not all people using social media have your best interests at heart, is somewhat…depressing.
Finding out the hard way is devastating! Having your Facebook hacked is something that I never thought would happen to me. After all, I am not a person of interest; I am just an average Joe, who works a 9-5, who enjoys video games and seeing friends and family on the weekend.
I didn’t think that I would ever attract the wrong kind of interest, but hey, love and crime is blind, so they say. I am not a particularly technical person, I know a thing or two about protecting my PC and mobile devices, but these guys don’t play games, they are in it for the win and if you are not fully aware of your security options and countermeasures, you could be in for a nasty surprise.
Facebook hacked? No problem… No really, don’t panic!
Well of course you will panic, because darn it you probably went and spilled your entire life’s story between messages and post updates. I know of people who store their credit cards in messenger, can you imagine the level of trust they have with the internet?
The truth is, if you are online, then you are open to an attack. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are, if you are unlucky enough to be targeted then there’s a chance that you will have your personal information and maybe even financial information liberated from you and placed in the hands of ruthless scammers.
They won’t hesitate to drain you of every penny you own, and with the dedication even create some new debt under your name.
Ok so I panicked, what can I do?
Having your Facebook hacked is no joke. To make sure that you aren’t the victim of some pug-nosed spotty oink that has nothing better to do than to steal from the moderately poor, you can follow the below steps!
- Alert Facebook: You’ve had your Facebook hacked so get straight to telling them about it. The quicker you move, the less chance you have of losing your account. Once you regain control do not fall short from the power of the mighty password. You should always make a unique and jumbled up password that is longer than 8 characters. Use a mix of numbers within letters and do NOT save it on your mobile devices.
- Up your game: Choosing a good security app is vital to your mobile devices security. Always have security apps installed in every device and refrain from using public PCs or connecting to free WIFI unless its secure. Scan all of your devices to detect any bugs or viruses that could be hidden.
- Call your bank: if you suspect that hackers have gotten a hold of your banking information, inform your bank and have new credit cards issued. Place a ban on opening new loans, credit cards or overdrafts, unless you visit in person.
- Tell your friends You should post a message for your friends to see, incase that whatever infected your account, has gotten to them. If you had your Facebook hacked, chances are they have received a message from “you” asking them to click a link. Warn them so the virus doesn’t spread!
- Don’t Panic: There is nothing better than a clear head to handle a bad situation. If you are cautious and do not have personal or financial information spread out over social media or even stored on your mobile devices, then you should be OK. Just remember to report it, gain control of your account and begin to excise some damage control.