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With almost 2.41 billion monthly active users, Facebook, no doubt, pass as the number one social media platform, and where two or three are gathered, judas must be there in the midst.
There have been reported cases of ‘judases’ hacking and taking over peoples accounts as internet fraud continues to soar, and the menace continues to alarm authorities and individuals affected.
You may not have been affected yet, but it is instrumental you are in the known of your to protect yourself on the number social media platform.
Let’s go straight to how to set a strong password and 2FA for Facebook, and what to do if your Facebook account is hacked.
Set strong password
On setting a strong password, I will advise on the traditional way of setting a strong password, which is still good.
According to the traditional advice, a strong password:
- Has 12 Characters, Minimum: You need to choose a password that’s long enough. There’s no minimum password length everyone agrees on, but you should generally go for passwords that are a minimum of 12 to 14 characters in length. A longer password would be even better.
- Includes Numbers, Symbols, Capital Letters, and Lower-Case Letters: Use a mix of different types of characters to make the password harder to crack.
- Isn’t a Dictionary Word or Combination of Dictionary Words: Stay away from obvious dictionary words and combinations of dictionary words. Any word on its own is bad. Any combination of a few words, especially if they’re obvious, is also bad. For example, “house” is a terrible password. “Red house” is also very bad.
- Doesn’t Rely on Obvious Substitutions: Don’t use common substitutions, either — for example, “H0use” isn’t strong just because you’ve replaced an o with a 0. That’s just obvious.
Try to mix it up—for example, “BigHouse$123” fits many of the requirements here. It’s 12 characters and includes upper-case letters, lower-case letters, a symbol, and some numbers. But it’s fairly obvious—it’s a dictionary phrase where each word is capitalized properly. There’s only a single symbol, all the numbers are at the end, and they’re in an easy order to guess.
Set 2FA
2FA, known as two-factor authentication is a type or subset of multi-factor authentication (MFA). MFA is an authentication method in which a computer user is granted access only after successfully presenting two or more pieces of evidence (or factors) to an authentication mechanism.
2FA or MFA is a security feature helps protect your Facebook account in addition to your password. If you set up two-factor authentication, you’ll be asked to enter a special login code or confirm your login attempt each time someone tries accessing Facebook from a browser or mobile device that is not recognized by the authentication mechanism.
You can also get alerts when someone tries logging in from a browser or mobile device that is not recognized by the authentication mechanism.
To turn on or manage two-factor authentication:
- Tap the three horizontal lines on your Facebook
- Scroll to the bottom and tap Settings
- Scroll down and tap Security and Login
- Scroll down and tap Use two-factor authentication
- You may be asked to enter your password at this point
- Tap Use Authentication App or Use Text Message (SMS)
When you set up two-factor authentication on Facebook, you’ll be asked to choose one of two security methods:
- Login codes from a third party authentication app.
- Text message (SMS) codes from your mobile phone.
You’ll need to have at least one of these set up in order to use two-factor authentication. Once you have added either text message (SMS) codes or a third party authentication app on your account, you’ll also be able to set up some of the optional methods below:
- Approving your login attempt from a device Facebook recognize.
- Using one of your recovery codes.
- Tapping your security key on a compatible device.
What to do if your Facebook account is hacked
If your Facebook account has been taken over by someone else, there are three things you can do about: try to recover your account, report account to Facebook and report account to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Try to recover your account
- Goto www.facebook.com or open the Facebook app
- Enter your username, email or phone you used in opening the account
- Tap the name of the profile you’re trying to report.
- Tap More.
- Tap Give feedback or report this profile.
- Tap Something Else, then tap Send.
- Tap Recover this account and follow the steps.
When your Facebook account is hacked, and you do not take immediate steps to recover it, you may never be able to recover, if the hacker has completed the process of taking over the account.
Report account to Facebook
Your Facebook account should represent you, and only you should have access to your account. If someone gains access to your account, or creates an account to pretend to be you or someone else, it is best to report the account to Facebook.
You will have to inform family members and friends to report the account or create a new account if you are not able to recover the hacked account and continually report the old account to Facebook until it is pulled out.
We also encourage you to let Facebook know about accounts that represent fake or fictional people, pets, celebrities or organizations, in efforts to help clean up the platform.
To report Facebook, first determine if you’re reporting a profile or a Page.
How to report a profile
If you have a Facebook account and want to report a profile:
- Go to the profile of the impersonating account.
- If you can’t find it, try searching for the name used on the profile or asking your friends if they can send you a link to it.
- Tap below the cover photo and select Find Support or Report Profile.
- Follow the on-screen instructions for impersonation to file a report.
How to report a Page
- Open the Facebook app for iOS or Android.
- Go to the impersonating Page.
- Tap from the top right and select Find Support or Report Page.
- Select Scams and Fake Pages.
- Select the option that best describes the impersonating Page.
- Tap Send.
Report account to EFCC
Before contacting the EFCC to report about your hacked Facebook account, ensure you’ve followed these steps:
- Try changing your password
- If you are unable to do that, inform your family and friends about the compromise on your account
- Report the hacked account to Facebook (the EFCC cannot take down your Facebook account) by: asking your contacts to report the hacked profile or create a new profile and report the old account
By so doing, the scammer will not be able to defraud anyone using your profile.
Be weary of people chatting you up about investing in businesses unknown to you. Always contact your family or friends in situations that seem suspicious.
Do not be greedy. Most people are defrauded as a result of greed.