Social Media Account Recovery in Australia (2026 Guide)

In Australia, recover a hacked or disabled social media account through the platform's official route (instagram.com/hacked, facebook.com/hacked, or the TikTok, WhatsApp and YouTube help pages). The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) then advises reporting the incident through ReportCyber, reporting to Scamwatch if a scam was involved or your account was used to scam others, and telling the platform. IDCARE, the national identity and cyber support service, can help if your identity or personal information is at risk.

#What should I do first if I'm hacked in Australia?

The ACSC's guidance on compromised accounts (cyber.gov.au) recommends:

1. Secure the account through the provider's recovery process, and change the password.
2. Check linked accounts, including any where you used "sign in with Facebook" or "continue with Facebook".
3. Note suspicious activity, such as scam messages sent from your profile.
4. Report the incident: ReportCyber to the ACSC and police, Scamwatch if a scam was involved, and the account provider.

Official recovery pages: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, WhatsApp, YouTube.

#Who does what in Australia?

The ACSC also lists a hotline, 1300 CYBER1 (1300 292 371).

#What if money was lost?

The ACSC's scam guidance says to report the transactions to your bank immediately, complete a ReportCyber report, stop all contact with the offender, report the scam account to the platform, and change your passwords (cyber.gov.au).

"Australian enquiries we review often involve small businesses with Facebook Pages or ad accounts, and creators hit by phishing. ReportCyber and Scamwatch are the right public reporting channels; eSafety covers serious online abuse. Recovery of the account itself still depends on Meta or TikTok." - Md Shariar Shanaz Shuvon, Founder, AwareXone

#Is "hacking back" legal in Australia?

No. Under section 478.1 of the Commonwealth Criminal Code, causing unauthorised access to restricted data (data protected by an access control system such as a password) is an offence, with a maximum penalty of two years' imprisonment (CDPP). Paying a "recovery hacker" risks the law and, more likely, being scammed. See hiring an "ethical hacker".

#How do I deal with fake accounts impersonating me?

Report the fake through the platform's impersonation tools first. See our impersonation removal guide. If the impersonation is part of serious online abuse and the platform doesn't act, adults can report to eSafety (eSafety).

#How do I spot recovery scams?

• DMs offering to "recover" your account
• "promised" recovery, "Meta insider" claims
• Requests for passwords, codes or remote access
• Crypto or gift card payment
• Fake "Meta support" phone numbers. Meta says it has no general public customer service number (Meta).

Read Account Recovery Scams.

#When does professional help make sense?

For business and creator accounts, repeated rejected appeals, lost email, phone and 2FA, or several linked Meta assets. Australian guides: Instagram recovery service in Australia and Facebook recovery service in Australia.

SocialSafe by AwareXone is based in Malaysia and reviews cases remotely worldwide, including Australia. We work through official platform processes only, never ask for passwords or OTPs, and don't promise outcomes. We reply to new cases within five hours during 9am-11pm MYT, which is 11am-1am in Sydney and Melbourne during standard time (AEST), and noon-2am during daylight saving (AEDT). Australian clients are quoted and billed in USD, with the fee confirmed after case review (quoted in USD after review). See how a case review works on the SocialSafe by AwareXone social media account recovery page, or check pricing and the Trust Center.

#How do I secure my accounts afterwards?

Change passwords, sign out of all sessions, turn on two-factor authentication, and check recovery details (FTC). The ACSC's "Secure your social media" guide also covers spotting fake and compromised accounts (cyber.gov.au PDF).

#What should Australian small businesses do differently?

• Call your bank first if ads are running on your card
• Recover the admin profile, then the business portfolio, using Meta's business portfolio recovery
• Use IDCARE's small business helpline (1800 595 170) for guided support. IDCARE says its Small Business Cyber Resilience Service is funded by the Australian Government (IDCARE)
• Warn customers through your website, email list or another platform
• Report through ReportCyber, which reaches the ACSC and police

See business and creator recovery.

#What evidence should I keep for ReportCyber and Scamwatch?

• Screenshots of scam messages, posts and profiles
• The attacker's usernames, links, phone numbers and payment details
• Bank transaction records
• A timeline of what happened
• The ACSC notes that Scamwatch reports need details of the scam, such as a screenshot or the text of the message (cyber.gov.au)

#What if my account is used to scam my friends?

Warn them quickly through another channel, and ask anyone who sent money to contact their bank immediately and report to Scamwatch. Report the account's misuse through ReportCyber as well. The ACSC recommends posting a general warning on your account or sending a group message to your contacts once you're back in (cyber.gov.au).

#Which official recovery flow applies to each platform?

Whichever platform it is, secure your email first. The ACSC's account-compromise guidance also recommends changing reused passwords and turning on multi-factor authentication (cyber.gov.au).

#Bottom line

In Australia, recover the account through the platform, and use ReportCyber, Scamwatch and IDCARE for the crime and its fallout. Keep your credentials private, ignore anyone offering shortcuts, and lock everything down with two-factor authentication once you're back in.