A friend's Facebook was hacked and "she" is messaging everyone at quilting group asking for gift cards. How do I help her get it back?

#1quilterjean(Joined Sep 2025 · 22 posts)October 1, 2026, 3:27 pm

Me again, the antivirus lady. This time it's not me, I'm pleased to say, but my friend Maureen from quilting group. Three of us got Facebook messages from "her" on Sunday saying she was in a bind and could we pick up some gift cards for her and send her the numbers. One of the ladies very nearly did.

Maureen herself had no idea until I rang her landline. She can't get into her account, the password doesn't work, and the email address on it has been changed. She is 80 and mortified and keeps saying she'll just stop using the computer.

I don't want her to give up. What do we actually do to get it back, and how do we stop the messages going out in the meantime?

#2Grace H(Joined Mar 2025 · 31 posts)October 1, 2026, 7:40 pm

First thing, get the word out to everyone she knows that it isn't her. A post from your account, a message round the group, a phone tree if needed. The hacker is counting on people trusting Maureen.

#3tomd52(Joined Jun 2025 · 20 posts)October 2, 2026, 8:14 am

Facebook has its own recovery page for hacked accounts, go there from Facebook itself, not from any link anyone sends you. Took my mum about four days with the identity check but she got it back.

And tell Maureen to ignore anyone who messages her offering to recover it for a fee. My mum got two of those in the same week.

#4quilterjean(Joined Sep 2025 · 22 posts)October 3, 2026, 9:02 pm

tomd52 said:

tell Maureen to ignore anyone who messages her offering to recover it for a fee

Tom, you are a mind reader. One arrived this morning. A "Meta support agent" on Instagram, which she doesn't even use.

#5Priya V(Joined Apr 2026 · 15 posts)October 5, 2026, 12:30 pm

Once she's back in, the bits people forget: sign out of all devices, check the email and phone number on the account are hers, and turn on two step login. My dad's got back in once and was hacked again a week later because the hacker's email was still listed as a backup.

#6quilterjean(Joined Sep 2025 · 22 posts)October 13, 2026, 4:48 pm

She's back in! Took six days and a video selfie, which she found hilarious once it worked. My granddaughter came round and did Priya's list with her, and we found the hacker had added their own email and a second phone number, so you were right to warn us.

The best bit is she's posted a warning to the group herself, in her own words, and three other ladies have since said the same thing happened to them last year and they never told anyone. So she's not giving up the computer.