After a stressful experience with a hacked Facebook account, I was eventually able to regain control with the help of Meta verification. This is how the recovery process unfolded.
Initial Hack
Last Friday, my Facebook account was compromised. The attacker changed my email address, phone number, and enabled their own two-factor authentication. As a result, I was completely locked out and unable to reset my password or remove the hacker’s details.
Recovery Process
- Meta Verification: I started the Meta verification process. Even without access to my password or phone number, I was able to proceed using my legal name, profile photo, and identity verification. Uploading my license helped confirm ownership.
- Contacting Support: Once verified, I gained access to live chat and email support. Approval took roughly three hours from submission.
- Email Correspondence: I exchanged around 20 emails with support, providing details about the account, the hacking incident, and my linked Instagram account for additional verification.
- Email Address Change: Support asked me to create a new email address that had never been associated with any Facebook or Instagram account.
- Account Restoration: About four hours later, I received confirmation that my account had been restored. The attacker’s information was removed, and I was given a temporary password to log in.
- Security Enhancements: After regaining access, I immediately changed the password, added my phone number, enabled two-factor authentication, and linked an authentication app for additional security.
Conclusion
Recovering a hacked account was stressful, but the $14.95 spent on Meta verification turned out to be worth it. Within 24 hours of starting the process, I had full control of my account again, along with years of personal memories.
If you ever face a similar situation, Meta verification may be a reliable option to regain access and secure your account.
(Experience from April 2023)