Help! I Think I’ve Been Hacked – What To Do Right Now

Your Instagram’s acting weird. Your followers say they got strange messages from you. You can’t log in to your email—or worse, your entire YouTube channel is gone.

First: take a deep breath.
Getting hacked as a content creator is scary—but it’s not the end of your brand. There are clear steps you can take to stop the damage and recover your accounts.

Here’s what to do immediately, what to check, and how to protect yourself going forward.

Most of your other logins are linked to your email. If hackers have control of that, they can reset everything else—so this needs to be your top priority.

• Try to log in

• If you can get in:
  ✅ Change the password
  ✅ Enable 2-step verification (2SV)
  ✅ Check recovery options (phone number, backup email)
  ✅ Look for unauthorised logins or forwards

• If you can’t log in:
  ➡ Use the platform’s account recovery or “forgot password” process
  ➡ Contact support with proof of identity or previous account activity

🔐 Tip: Your email is your digital HQ. Treat it like a vault.

If someone’s impersonating you or messaging your followers:

• Post a warning on your official channels (e.g. “I’ve been hacked, don’t click links or respond to DMs”)

• Let your community know which accounts are safe to trust

• Ask friends or followers to report impersonators

• Take screenshots of any suspicious activity, messages, or posts

This builds a record you can use later for reporting and helps stop scammers from hurting your audience.

Do a quick audit of:

• Social media accounts

• File storage (Google Drive, Dropbox)

• Financial tools (PayPal, Stripe, Ko-fi)

• Business platforms (Etsy, Patreon, YouTube, Twitch)

• Your website, domain registrar, and hosting provider

If you find anything suspicious:

• Change the password immediately

• Enable or check 2-step verification

• Log out of all devices (most platforms allow this under security settings)

If you can’t access the account, use the platform’s recovery options and prepare to submit ID or verification steps.

If your payment tools or banking info were exposed:

• Contact your bank or payment provider

• Freeze or replace cards if necessary

• Enable fraud alerts or transaction notifications

• Check for recent logins, purchases, or changes in billing details

Some services like PayPal let you review authorised apps and devices—revoke anything suspicious.

Once you’re back in control:

• Change passwords on everything, even if it wasn’t hacked
  Use a password manager to create strong, unique ones

• Review connected apps and third-party logins
  (e.g. “Login with Facebook” or “Connected apps” on Instagram/Twitter)

• Remove any unknown apps or bots

Take this opportunity to tighten your security setup.

Each platform has a reporting form or help centre for hacked or impersonated accounts:

• Instagram / Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hacked

• Google / YouTube: https://support.google.com/accounts/troubleshooter/2402620

• Twitter/X: https://help.twitter.com/en/forms/account-access

• Twitch: https://help.twitch.tv/

• Discord: https://dis.gd/contact

Be ready to:

• Describe what happened

• Provide proof (screenshots, email addresses, links)

• Verify your identity

It may take time—but the more evidence you give, the better your chances of recovery.

Getting hacked is awful—but it’s also a wake-up call. Once you’ve regained control:

✅ Use a password manager
✅ Turn on 2SV everywhere
✅ Set up device alerts or login notifications
✅ Make regular backups of your content
✅ Educate yourself on common phishing attacks and scams

If you’re a business or brand, consider:

• Registering your handle on platforms you’re not using yet

• Getting verified where possible

• Setting up a basic cybersecurity plan for you or your team

Not sure if you've been compromised? Look out for:

• Can’t log into an account

• Emails saying “Your password was changed”

• Messages sent that you didn’t write

• Followers reporting strange DMs or links

• Posts appearing that you didn’t publish

• Unknown devices logged into your accounts

Even one of these is enough to take action.

• 🔐 Secure your email first

• 🚨 Warn your followers

• 📋 Audit what was affected

• 💳 Freeze or review financial accounts

• 🧹 Change all your passwords

• 🆘 Report to platforms and start recovery

• 🛠 Lock down your setup going forward