You use your Snapchat account daily. It contains hundreds of photos, from goofy pictures with your friends to spicy selfies for your significant other.
But what if you suddenly lose access to your Snapchat account? All these photos are private, and for various reasons, you would never want anyone else to snoop through your messages.
Don’t panic—we can help.
Just like you, we also want to secure our Snapchat accounts. So our team gathered the best account recovery tips from official Snapchat resources, cybersecurity experts, and past hacking victims.
We’ll give you first-hand insights into Snapchat hacking incidents. After all, knowing what to do if your Snapchat gets hacked will help you recover your account faster—limiting what attackers can do with your messages.
Please read without skipping. We’ll share a crucial piece of information regarding your legal rights as a victim. Otherwise, your attacker will keep hacking innocent users.
Here’s how to recover a hacked Snapchat account!
Step-by-step instructions to recover a hacked Snapchat account
Before we dive into profile recovery, let’s do a quick assessment. You can tell much about your hacker’s intentions based on the current state of your Snapchat account.
Once you have a firm grasp of the situation, you can move forward with recovery. Don’t worry—the entire assessment shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.
If you can’t access all your social media profiles, the perp likely wants to commit identity theft. If so, you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Navigating the FTC can be difficult on your own and you might not be able to act as quickly as you need to. It’s a good idea to have an expert in your corner who is committed to your well being first.
We’ve tried all the major identity theft protection services and wholeheartedly recommend Aura. Here’s why:
Plus, you’ll be covered by up to $1M identity theft insurance. So if you suspect you’ve been hacked, don’t hesitate to take action.
However, if you only lost control over your Snapchat account, you can bet that the hacker wants something specific in your gallery.
Go through your inbox—assuming that you can open your account. Look for new conversation threads, unsolicited images, screenshot notifications, and strange friend requests.
Next, check your recovery phone and email. Confirm that the hacker hasn’t changed them, then replace your login credentials.
However, if you’re completely locked out of your Snapchat account, do the following steps:
Use the “Forgot Password” feature
If the hacker hasn’t changed anything to your account, the Forgot Password feature should already help you take control of your account.
Go to Snapchat’s login page. Try using your login credentials again, then if it doesn’t work, click the tiny Forgot Password hyperlink under the login field.
Input the captcha code and update your password
Snapchat will send a captcha code to your recovery contact information. Try sending the code to your email address if an SMS verification doesn’t work, and vice versa.
Next, input the code into Snapchat’s account recovery page—which should load automatically. But for email confirmations, you’ll get a recovery link.
Input a new password
After you enter the captcha code, Snapchat will load the Password Reset page. And, as its name suggests, you can update your login credentials and kick out other logged-in users.
We suggest using a secure, unique password. Please don’t use a variation of your old password because crooks can easily bypass those through brute-force hacking methods.
Contact Snapchat
If you don’t receive your captcha code via email or SMS, you’ll have to file a report.
Go to Snapchat Support. The page will ask for information about the incident, like the issue at hand and your contact information.
Also, share everything you know about the case. The investigation will proceed quicker if you disclose critical pieces of information about the possible hacker.
Check your other social media and email accounts
Snapchat should respond within one to three business days. In the meantime, inspect your other social media profiles and email accounts, especially ones linked to your Snapchat.
Chances are, your attacker also targeted other platforms. Update your login credentials promptly to stop them in their tracks.
Get legal help
Warning!
Did your perpetrator spread your sensitive Snapchat photos? Don’t hesitate to talk to a lawyer. They can help you do two crucial things: sue your hacker and delete your leaked content.
File criminal and civil lawsuits as soon as the authorities locate the perpetrator. If you’re a minor, the court will impose graver penalties.
Note that a single attack can lead to hundreds of thousands of leaked images, so it would benefit a lot if you took down even one perverted hacker.
Also, watch out for sexual extortion. Some hackers might threaten to share your private photos unless you send them money or divulge more personal information.
Please don’t get roped into their schemes. Instead, seek help from your attorney and local authorities.
Trust us—these creeps will keep doing what they do until someone brave enough stands up to them.
Signs your Snapchat has been hacked
Watch out for the following warning signs indicating your Snapchat account has been hacked:
- Frequent Logouts: Do you keep getting logged out of your account? Change your password and report the incident to Snapchat’s support team.
- Multiple Snapchat Emails: Snapchat should email or text you all account updates (i.e., password changes, login attempts).
- Strange Messages: Spam messages are normal, but multiple conversation threads with random strangers indicate hacking.
- Login Alerts: Don’t ignore the login alerts that Snapchat sends. If the login attempt comes from an unknown device, report the incident right away.
As a general rule, immediately change your login credentials if you notice any unusual activity. Stop hackers before they lock you out of your own account.
Different methods of how attackers hack Snapchat accounts
Hackers typically acquire Snapchat login credentials through:
- Brute-Force Hacking: Using uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters makes your password more challenging to guess using brute-force methods.
- Data Leaks: Many hackers attempt to steal client information from major companies and websites. They usually fail. However, if Snapchat ever loses your personal data, note that you can sue them.
- Wireless Sniffing: Only input your credentials through secure login pages. Otherwise, you might fall victim to criminals rerouting traffic through wireless sniffing tactics.
- Spyware Attacks: Avoid downloading random apps on your phone. Criminals often disguise spyware programs as trivial games, puzzles, and digital magazines.
Under no circumstances should you share the login credentials of your Snapchat account—or any social media profile for that matter.
Ways to keep your Snapchat account secure
Remember: prevention is better than cure. And although you can’t wholly avoid hackers, you can minimize your susceptibility to cyberattacks by:
- Enabling 2FA: Use two-factor authentication. Although you can use your SMS or email, we’d suggest using an authenticator app that hackers can’t access remotely.
- Not Linking to Other Platforms: Avoid linking your Snapchat to various platforms (i.e., digital magazine subscriptions, apps). Note that shady websites use phishing links.
- Creating a Strong Password: Please update your login credentials. Statistics show that over half of Americans use the same password variations across all their social media profiles.
Closely monitor your Snapchat account so that nothing slips past you.
It’s not easy to stay on top of the latest scams, ploys and data breaches across every platform, service and software you use. So why not let someone else take the load off your shoulders?
Aura is here to monitor all your private data around the clock. If something slips through the cracks, they will let you know immediately. Plus you will:
You won’t need to worry in the event of identity theft because Aura will help you recover, no matter how long it takes.
Ensuring that private Snapchat messages stay private
Recovering a hacked Snapchat account is simple. You can freely change your login credentials if you have a recovery phone number and email address.
However, you’ll find damage mitigation far more challenging. If you don’t swiftly take legal action, some effects could even last forever, depending on how far your photos spread.
Again, seek help from a legal professional. Considering the privacy issues associated with cyberattacks, the court often penalizes hackers with steep fines and lengthy jail times.
But overall, endeavor to secure your account. Although knowing what to do if your Snapchat gets hacked is helpful, it’s best to prevent attacks right from the get-go.
Aidan has been writing about personal finance for over 6 years. Prior to this, he worked as a Corporate Finance Analyst where he specialized in Due Diligence, Company Valuations and more. He is a CFA charterholder.
