Hacked Instagram account? How to recover it

What to do first if your Instagram account is hacked

1. Secure your email and phone. Change the password on the mailbox itself, and check your SIM still works.
2. Find the security email from security@mail.instagram.com in your original inbox, including spam. When the profile email changes, Instagram sends the old address a message with a link you can use to reverse it ("secure my account").
3. If you are locked out, request a login link from the login screen, or go to instagram.com/hacked and follow the on-screen instructions.
4. Warn your followers from another account or channel, and screenshot anything posted from your account.
5. Once you are back, change the password, log out unknown devices, update the email and phone, remove unknown linked accounts and apps, and turn on two-factor authentication.

Details and a table of what each notice means are in Hacker changed my Instagram email and phone.

Signs that your Instagram account is hacked

• An email says your address or phone number was changed, and you did not do it.
• Your password stops working, or login codes go to a number you do not own.
• Posts, stories or direct messages appear that you did not create, such as crypto or giveaway scams.
• Ads run on your saved card without your knowledge.

See also Instagram hacked and posting crypto scams and Instagram ads running on your card.

What not to do after a hack

• Do not pay anyone who promises to "hack back" your Instagram account. Unauthorised access is a crime, and most of these offers are scams. See hiring an "ethical hacker" to recover an account.
• Do not share a login code, password or backup code with anyone, including people claiming to be platform staff.
• Do not click links in direct messages or emails warning that your Instagram account will be deleted. Open the app yourself instead.
• Do not trust phone numbers that claim to be platform support. Meta, for one, says it has no general public support phone line.

When professional help with a hacked Instagram makes sense

Most hacked Instagram accounts are won back through the platform's own recovery flow, so try that first and never pay anyone to "hack it back". Getting help is worth considering when you have already tried those routes, lost access to both the email and the phone number, or the account carries a business, ads or income. If the account carries creator income or ads, say so in your case review.

AwareXone reviews your case, helps you prepare ownership evidence and works only through Instagram's official routes. We never ask for your password, login codes or session cookies, and we do not break into accounts. Only Instagram can restore access, so no outcome is guaranteed. AwareXone has handled 1,300+ account recovery and removal cases, with client names kept anonymous. Fees are confirmed after the case review.

Use Apply for Case Review and tell us the platform, what changed and what you have already tried. We reply within five hours, 9am to 11pm Malaysia time, every day.

If money was lost or you are being blackmailed

Call your bank first and report to the police or cybercrime authority in your country. In Malaysia, call the National Scam Response Centre on 997 and see how to report a hacked account in Malaysia. Reporting does not replace the platform's own recovery process, but it supports your case and gives you a reference number.

Help by country: UK, Australia, UAE and Singapore.

How do I recover a hacked Instagram account if the email and phone were changed?

Check your original inbox for the security email from security@mail.instagram.com and use its secure-my-account link. If that does not work, request a login link or go to instagram.com/hacked and follow the on-screen steps.

Can AwareXone get my hacked Instagram back?

Only Instagram can restore an account. We review your case, help prepare ownership evidence and use Meta's official routes. We never ask for your password or codes, and no outcome is guaranteed.

Will Instagram message me in DMs about my account?

Treat any direct message claiming to be Instagram support, or warning that your account will be deleted, as a likely scam. Check the account in the app yourself.

Should I pay someone who offers to recover my Instagram account?

Be very careful. Anyone who offers to break in on your behalf is committing unauthorised access, and many offers are scams. Use the official flow first, and ask for a case review if it fails.