close 'Scary' that China hacked Yellen's computer: Rep Jordan Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, discusses the report that Chinese hackers infiltrated Treasury Secretary Janet Yellens computer on The Ingraham Angle. The chances of your Instagram, X, Facebook, Amazon, Threads, Rumble, Twitch or other accounts getting taken over by spammy bots and data-stealing thieves have never been higher. So, dont sit there all smug, thinking, "Oh, Kim, that could never happen to me!"Freebie alert:Im giving away my latest ebook, "50 Smart Ways to Use AI" (a $9.95 value). Hope it helps you!A lot of the advice you find online about hacked social media sites and profiles is just plain wrong or, worse, leads to a scammer who promises to get your account back but really just steals your money. Keep reading for advice you can trust.DONT SCAM YOURSELF WITH THE TRICKS HACKERS DONT WANT ME TO SHAREStep 1: Sign out on every deviceIts alarming to think about someone elses hands all over your social media account, posting crap on your page. Fully sign out of your account on every device youre logged in.Pro tip:Under the Settings section in every social app, youll see a list of all (or the most recent) devices signed in. On Facebook, for instance, just click your profile picture > Settings & privacy > Activity log > Where youre logged in.This step will often boot more casual hackers piggybacking on automatic sign-ins. Theyll get asked for passwords they dont have and wont be able to log in again, so they cant spam your peeps. But dont stop here! In the social media age, anyone can become a victim of account hacking or identity theft at any time. (iStock)Step 2: Change your passwordLog into your account on one device and change your password. The account or settings page will have that option, likehere on Instagram. If hackers did get your password (maybe from a massive data breach), this will lock them out.You know the drill: Replace your old password with a strong one. Make it at least 12 characters with a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Better yet, have a password manager come up with a great one for you.THIS CRIME SHOT UP 400% HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELFStep 3: Report the hackNow, hackers should be mostly locked out of your socials. Before you take a deep breath, though, report the hack. This way, your social media platform can help you roll back your hacked messages and freeze your account until youre sure everything is safe.Account hacking is so bad, some social media sites have dedicated pages to report the problem. HeresFacebooks hacked page, and, no surprise, theres also anInstagram hacked page andXs questionnaire. Different apps come with different steps to safeguard your account. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)Step 4: Check for surprise changesNo one likes cleaning the house, but it has to be done. Jump over to your account settings and check for any funny business, like:Fake messages or posts: Get rid of them.Connected devices: Hackers add their own devices for easy access to your accounts. Give them the boot.Third-party apps: A hacker may have installed a few new apps to track you or steal your data while your account was compromised. Remove them.Linked accounts: They also may have grabbed a bunch of bots or stalker-looking accounts as followers. Bye-bye.Your profile photos: Make sure its you and not some hot Russian woman.IM A TECH EXPERT: 10 AI PROMPTS YOULL USE ALL THE TIMEStep 5: One last thingPhew, youre almost done. Be sure to enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for your account. You can get a code via text, but its more secure to use an authenticator app.Steps here if youre new to the 2FA game.FYI, you can only get 2FA on X if you pay for its $8 monthly Premium service. Annoying.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPIf you run into any trouble with these steps Or if a hacker got your account suspended, call the social media platform. Keep in mind these companies dont care about you, so they really dont want to help you. Youll have to be persistent.Heres a list of popular tech numbers. Do not search on Google for these phone numbers.Reminder, get my newest ebook"50 Smart Ways to Use AI" free right now.Get tech-smarter on your scheduleAward-winning host Kim Komando is your secret weapon for navigating tech.National radio:Airing on 500+ stations across the US -Find yours or get the free podcast.Daily newsletter:Join 650,000 people who read the Current (free!)Watch: OnKims YouTube channelPodcast: "Kim Komando Today" - Listen wherever you get podcastsCopyright 2025, WestStar Multimedia Entertainment. All rights reserved.