My Facebook Account Has Been Hacked And Deleted - What Should I Do?

Getting your Facebook account hacked is extremely frustrating and can lead to misunderstandings. But some hackers go further and completely delete the account. If this happened more than 30 days ago, your only option is to create a new account.

However, if the deletion took place less than a month ago, you may still have the option to back up your account. Let's see what you need to do.

How to recover a hacked and deleted account

The good thing about account deletion is that Facebook doesn't delete it right away. Instead, it keeps the account "alive" but makes it invisible to your friends for a period of 30 days. Here's how to recover a hacked and deleted account.

Password and email have not been changed

There is a small chance that the hacker forgot to change your login details before deleting the account. If so, here's what to do to reactivate and regain access to your account.

1. Open the browser on your computer and navigate to https://facebook.com. If you're on a smartphone or tablet, launch the Facebook app.
   
2. Then enter your email and password. If you used to log in with your phone number, enter your phone number instead.
   
3. Click or tap the Login button.
   

If you were successful, you should see all of your contacts, photos, posts, etc., assuming the hacker didn't delete them.

Password has been changed

The most common scenario, especially with inexperienced hackers, is that they only change the password. Although you cannot reactivate your account with the old password, you can still recover your account. Here's how.

1. Open the browser on your computer and go to the main page of Facebook. If you're on a smartphone or tablet, launch the Facebook app.
   
2. Enter your old login details and click/tap Login.
   
3. Facebook will then show you a screen indicating that you have entered an invalid username or password.
   
4. Click or tap the Forgot Password option.
   
5. Choose the email account you have associated with Facebook.
   
6. You will receive an email with a six-digit code. Type it in the "Enter Code" field and click or tap to continue.
   
7. You will then be prompted to provide a new password for your account. Enter the new password. Make sure it's strong. Use special characters, mix upper and lower case letters and also add numbers.
   
8. Tap or click the Continue button.
   
9. Then you will see a message telling you when your account will be deleted if you don't undo the deletion. Keep in mind that after this date recovery will be impossible.
   

If you can't access your email

Let's say the hacker was a bit more thorough than the previous case and disabled your access to the email account you use to log into Facebook. You still have a way to get your account back. First of all, you need to check if the password is still valid.

1. Open the browser on your computer or launch the Facebook app on your mobile device.
   
2. Once the main Facebook page is open, click on your profile picture (on the mobile application).
   
3. If you are on a computer, enter the last password you used. If the hacker has not changed it, Facebook will allow you to undo the deletion of your account.
   
4. If you're using the app, enter the last password you used. If it verifies, Facebook will show you the Confirm your identity message. Tap Start. You will then see the message indicating when your account was to be deleted.
   
5. Tap the Undelete option.
   

But what if the hacker changed everything?

Email and password have been changed

If the hacker was thorough and changed both the email address and the password, you can try to recover your account with your phone number. Here's how it works on a computer.

1. Launch the browser and go to the main page of Facebook.
   
2. Enter the last credentials that worked and click Connect.
   
3. Click on the Forgot Password option.
   
4. Check the option "Send the code by SMS".
   
5. When you get the text, copy the code into the Enter Code field and click Continue.
   
6. Enter a new password and click Continue.
   
7. Click Cancel deletion.
   

Smartphone users should do the following.

1. Launch the app.
   
2. Tap the Find your account option.
   
3. Check the option "Confirm by SMS" and press Continue.
   
4. Choose whether or not you want to stay signed in on other devices, then tap Continue.
   
5. Create a new password and tap Continue.
   
6. On the Confirm your identity screen, tap Get started.
   
7. Tap the Yes, Continue to Facebook button. This will undelete your account.
   

If none of the methods helped, you should report that your Facebook account has been hacked.

Be careful

Once you've recovered your account, be sure to create an ultra-strong password. Also consider changing the associated email and adding 2-factor authentication to make future hacks even less likely to happen.

Has your account ever been hacked and were you able to recover it? Tell us about your experiences in the comments below.