Instagram Hacked in the UK? Recovery & Reporting Guide

If your Instagram is hacked in the UK, go to instagram.com/hacked and follow the option that matches your situation. Check Instagram's real security emails, which you can review in the app, for a link to undo an email change. Once you're back in, change your password, turn on two-step verification or a passkey, and warn your followers. If money was lost or your account was used to scam people, tell your bank and report it to Report Fraud (0300 123 2040), or to Police Scotland on 101 if you're in Scotland.

#Step by step: recovering a hacked Instagram in the UK

#1. Secure your email

The NCSC's advice for any hacked account starts with the provider's help pages and changing passwords, including on any other account that shares the same password (NCSC). Your email matters most, because whoever controls it can reset Instagram.

#2. Check for Instagram's security email

If the attacker changed your email address, Instagram may have sent a message to your old address about the change. Instagram lets you review recent emails it has sent from the app's security settings, which helps you confirm a message is genuine before you click (Instagram Help Center).

#3. Use instagram.com/hacked

Choose the situation that applies, such as "my account was hacked" or "my email or phone was changed", and follow the steps. You may be asked to verify your identity, for example with a video selfie.

#4. Don't spam attempts

Repeated failed logins or code requests can trigger more locks. Work through one route at a time.

AwareXone guides: the first hour after an Instagram hack, email and phone changed, video selfie failed.

#What are UK-specific reporting steps?

• Lost money, or followers scammed in your name: Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, call 101 (Report Fraud).
• Unauthorised card payments (for example ads run on your card): tell your bank as soon as you notice, within 13 months. The FCA says refunds should normally be made by the end of the next business day (FCA).
• Tricked into paying someone: the FCA advises contacting your bank immediately, contacting the police on 101, reporting to Report Fraud, and keeping records (same source).

Report Fraud said stolen sums linked to email and social media hacking rose to £6.3 million in 2025/26, from £1.2 million in 2024/25 (Report Fraud).

#What if the hacker is posting crypto scams?

A common pattern is an attacker posting "investment" stories or crypto offers from a hacked account to scam your followers. Warn followers through another channel, report the posts, and keep screenshots for your Report Fraud report. See Instagram hacked: crypto scam posts.

"When a UK Instagram account is taken, people most often report crypto or investment stories, fake giveaways, and messages to followers asking for money or codes. That matches patterns Action Fraud and the platforms warn about. Screenshot everything before posts disappear, then use Instagram's official hacked flow." - Md Shariar Shanaz Shuvon, Founder, AwareXone

#What if my username was changed?

Attackers sometimes change the username so you can't find the account. You can still use instagram.com/hacked with the email or phone originally linked. See Instagram username stolen after hack.

#Is there an Instagram phone number in the UK?

Meta says it has no general public customer service phone number for its products, including Instagram, and that numbers claiming to be Meta support are potentially scams (Meta). See is there a phone number for Instagram support?

#Can I pay someone in the UK to force access?

You shouldn't. The Computer Misuse Act 1990 makes unauthorised access to computer material an offence (legislation.gov.uk), and most "recovery hackers" are scammers. See hiring an "ethical hacker".

#After recovery: securing your Instagram

1. Change your password to a unique one.
2. Turn on two-factor authentication. The NCSC encourages passkeys where available and two-step verification where they aren't (Report Fraud).
3. Check that your email and phone are yours.
4. Remove unknown logins and connected apps.
5. Save backup codes offline. See Instagram backup codes.
6. Delete anything the hacker posted.

#When should I get professional help?

If your Instagram supports a business or creator income, appeals keep failing, or you've lost email, phone and 2FA together. SocialSafe by AwareXone reviews UK cases remotely through official channels: no passwords or OTPs, no promises, a reply within five hours (9am-11pm MYT, which is 2am-4pm UK summer time), with UK clients quoted and billed in USD after case review. For a wider view, see the UK recovery hub. See how a case review works on the SocialSafe by AwareXone Instagram account recovery page, or check pricing and the Trust Center.

#What if Instagram disabled the account after the hack?

Attackers often break the rules from your account, for example with crypto scams, spam or prohibited content, and Instagram may then disable it. Use the appeal option on the disabled notice, explain that the account was compromised and when, and include security emails as evidence. Follow the deadline on your notice. See our appeals guide.

#What if I'm being blackmailed through Instagram?

If the hacker or anyone else threatens to share private images unless you pay, that's sextortion. Don't pay, stop engaging, preserve evidence, and report it. The NCSC has specific guidance on sextortion for individuals (NCSC). See also should I pay a hacker holding my account for ransom?

#Common UK Instagram scams to watch for afterwards

• Fake "Instagram copyright violation" messages with a link to "appeal"
• "Vote for me in a competition" messages from friends' hacked accounts, which ask for a code
• Fake brand-collaboration offers that ask you to log in through a link
• Crypto "investment" stories posted from hacked accounts

If a message asks for a login code or sends you to a login page, treat it as phishing. Check Instagram's real emails in the app instead.

#Bottom line

Use instagram.com/hacked, secure your email, check Instagram's genuine emails, and report fraud to Report Fraud or Police Scotland. Don't pay anyone who offers a shortcut.