Your account just got hacked, and changing the password alone isn't enough. You're locked out, or friends are getting weird links and money requests you never sent. The fix, in one breath: scan your device, recover through the official page, then lock every back door. But step 1 is the easiest to skip, and skipping it can quietly undo everything else. Step 1. Update your security software, run a scan, delete anything suspicious, then restart.

Step 2. Go through the platform's own recovery page, like Google's, or facebook.com/hacked. Ideally from a phone or laptop you've logged in with before, not a brand-new one. Step 3. A new password, at least 16 characters, and change it anywhere you reused the old one. Step 4. Sign out of all devices, and remove any device you don't recognize. Step 5. Turn on two-factor, and make sure the recovery email and phone number are actually yours.

Step 6. Hunt for leftovers: forwarding rules, filters, connected apps, plus your sent and deleted folders. Step 7. Tell friends and family: don't click links from you, and ignore any request for money. Here's the part nobody tells you about getting hacked. Myth: change the password, and the hacker is locked out for good. Not necessarily. They can still be signed in on a different device, somewhere else.

And a forwarding rule they left behind can keep copying your mail after the reset. Why scan first? If malware stole your password, it can steal the new one too, the moment you type it. With two-factor on, a stolen password alone isn't enough to get into your account. Use a text code, an authenticator app, or your fingerprint. The app makes a new code every 30 seconds. Recovery info matters too. A hacker's phone or email in there is their key back in.

And never reuse passwords. Otherwise one leak can open every account that shares it. Can't log in at all? Use the official recovery page. For Google, answer the questions as best you can. Someone online offers to get your account back for a fee? That's a scam the BBB warns about. One victim paid 100 dollars, then 130 dollars for software, then 50 dollars for deletion. Got nothing back. Never pay them.

And never share your password, banking info or Social Security number with them. A friend messages you a weird link or asks for money? Classic hacked account. Don't click, don't send. Scan, recover, reset, sign out, two-factor, clean up, warn people. Seven steps, in that order. A new password changes the locks. It doesn't evict whoever's already inside the house. And recovery is always free. Paying for it is just getting hacked twice.