How to Recover Your Facebook Account: Hacked or Cloned?

If you’re seeing strange activity on your Facebook account—like messages you didn’t send or posts you didn’t make—you might be wondering if your account has been hacked. Or maybe friends are telling you they got a friend request from you, even though you’re already connected. That could mean your account was cloned.

In this post, we’ll explain the difference between a hacked account and a cloned account, and walk you through how to fix both.

Step 1: Figure Out What Happened

There are two possible situations:

• Hacked Account: Someone has gained access to your actual Facebook account. They might change your password, post from your account, or send messages as you.
• Cloned Account: Someone has copied your name, photos, and other public information to create a fake account that looks like yours. They use it to trick your friends into accepting the request and possibly giving away personal information.

How to Tell the Difference:

Check for These Signs of a Hacked Account:

• You can’t log in, even though you’re sure you have the correct password.
• Your account shows posts you didn’t make.
• Messages have been sent from your account, but you didn’t send them.
• Your email address or phone number has been changed in your account settings.

Check for These Signs of a Cloned Account:

• You can still log into your Facebook account like normal.
• Friends tell you they got a new friend request from you when you didn’t send one.
• You search your name and find a second profile with your picture and details.

Step 2: If Your Account Was Hacked

If someone has taken control of your real account, follow these steps to recover it.

1. Go to Facebook's Recovery Page

• Open a web browser and go to facebook.com/hacked.
• Facebook will ask you to describe the problem and follow the prompts to secure your account.

2. Change Your Password

If you still have access to your account:

• Click your profile picture in the top right of Facebook.
• Go to Settings & Privacy → Settings → Security and Login.
• Under Login, click Change Password.

If you can’t log in: Use the “Forgot Password” link on the login screen and follow the instructions to reset it.

3. Check and Remove Suspicious Devices

• Go to Settings & Privacy → Settings → Security and Login.
• Find the section called Where You're Logged In.
• If you see a device you don’t recognize, click the three-dot menu next to it and select Log Out.

4. Update Contact Information

• Make sure your email and phone number are correct.
• If hackers changed them, Facebook should prompt you to fix it during the recovery process.

5. Alert Your Friends

Let friends know you were hacked. Hackers often send messages to your contacts asking for money or personal information.

Step 3: If Your Account Was Cloned

When your account is cloned, the hacker hasn’t actually accessed your account. They’ve only copied your public information to trick others.

Here’s what to do:

1. Search for the Fake Account

• Go to the Facebook search bar and type your name.
• Look for profiles using your picture or name that you didn’t create.

2. Report the Fake Account

• Go to the cloned profile.
• Click the three-dot menu next to the profile picture.
• Select Find Support or Report Profile.
• Choose Pretending to Be Someone → Me.

3. Alert Your Friends

Tell friends to ignore or decline friend requests from the fake account.

Step 4: Protect Your Account for the Future

Once you’ve recovered or reported the account, take these extra steps to protect it:

1. Turn On Two-Factor Authentication:

   • Go to Settings & Privacy → Settings → Security and Login.
   • Under Two-Factor Authentication, follow the steps to add an extra security layer.

2. Tighten Privacy Settings:

   • Review who can see your posts and personal information.
   • Limit access to your friends list to prevent cloning.

3. Be Cautious with Messages:

   • Never click links in unexpected messages, even if they seem to come from a friend.
   • Scammers often impersonate people you know to trick you.

When to Get Help

If you’re struggling to recover your account, remember that Facebook provides its own support for account recovery.

• Visit facebook.com/hacked to start the recovery process.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to secure your account.

Important: DE Web Works specializes in IT services for small businesses, but we do not provide support for Facebook account recovery. If you need help with your business IT systems or general cybersecurity protection, we’re happy to help.