Most people do not realize that Instagram accounts are among the top hacked social media accounts. If you believe that your Instagram account has been hacked, there are a few things that you can do.
Option 1
If you still have access to your Instagram account as well as the email address associated with it, you can go through the usual steps of resetting your password through an emailed link. To do this, you will need to go to the Login screen. There you will need to enter your username then select forgot in the password section.
At this point, the reset password page will appear and ask for the email or username associated with your account. You should enter the email address, complete the reCAPTCHA words and select the reset password button. An email will be sent to you with the next steps that you have to take to reset your password.
You may also be able to use this Instagram recovery account service if you want some help.
Option 2
If your username has been changed in the hack or you are otherwise unable to log into your account, you may be able to use the app to help. You will need to open the Instagram app on your mobile device. On the login screen, you will have to click on get help logging in. This will be directly below the login fields.
A trouble logging in screen will appear where you can enter the original username of your account. You will then have to select the need more help option that is below the send a login link box. Doing this directs you to the request support page where you can submit a support request.
If you did not enter the original username for your account, the app will redirect you. In these cases, the page you land on will be the account assistance page. Here you have to take extra steps to get into your account.
If your account has been compromised, you have to enter the email you signed up with and then a contact email if it is different. It might be best to have a different contact email to ensure that your request goes to you and not to the hacker.
There are three fields that are provided by Instagram after the email field. They are the company or brand account, personal account with photos and personal account without photos. You will need to select the most appropriate option to help Instagram to verify your account.
You should then select the option which states that your account was hacked. A short description of what you believe happened should be placed in the additional details box. You need to ensure that you include all information that Instagram needs to better resolve the issue.
After submitting this, you should receive a verification code and instructions from Instagram. You will be instructed to reply to the email with a photo of yourself and a hand-written note that includes the codes, your account username and your full name. This will then be matched to the picture of you from your account. If your account does not have pictures, you might not be able to verify your account.
