Your Facebook account is a huge target for hackers for a lot of reasons such as targeting you for identity theft, harassing your Facebook friends in your name, and many others.
There are several things you can do to lock down your account such as choosing a strong, yet easy to remember password and choosing a secret question that even those who know you best won’t be able to guess, but if you really want to secure your Facebook account from hackers you should enable two-factor authentication.
Two-factor authentication works like this:
1 – Whenever you want to log into your account, you enter your Facebook username or email address along with your password as usual.
2 – Facebook texts a unique security code to your mobile phone.
3 – You read the text from Facebook and enter the security code to finish the login process.
What this does is virtually guarantee that no one will be able to log into your Facebook account without having physical access to your mobile phone. That’s a pretty high hurdle for the average hacker to jump over.
If you’d like to enable two-factor authentication on your own Facebook account, you can easily do so. Just follow the steps below for the device you’re using:
Follow these steps if you’re using Facebook in a web browser on a laptop or desktop computer…
1 – Log in to your Facebook account (if you aren’t logged in already).
2 – Click the gear-shaped menu icon on the right side of the blue bar near the top of the screen.
3 – Click Settings.
4 – In the far left-hand column, click Security and login.
5 – Find the line labeled “Use Two-Factor Authentication” and click the Edit link in the far right-hand column and then follow the directions from there.
Follow these steps if you’re using the Facebook app on a mobile device…
1 – Log in to your Facebook account.
2 – Tap the Menu icon (it looks like either three horizontal lines or three vertical dots, depending on your version of the app).
3 – Scroll down and tap Settings & Privacy.
4 – Tap Account Settings.
5 – Tap Security and Login.
6 – Scroll down and tap Use two-factor authentication and then follow the directions from there.
That’s all there is to it. From now on a person will need physical access to your mobile phone before they’ll be allowed to log into to your Facebook account (even if they know your password).
Bonus tip #1: Read this post for several other tips for protecting your Facebook account from hackers.
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Thank you Rick! Because of this post I have done this today. I must admit I rarely change my password and to tell you the truth they are all just versions of the same. Before you ask…Yes, I have been hacked more than once. Now I know why!!! Thanks so much. A friend told me I should also change my passwords monthly (I never do)… Yuck! Is this true as well?
No Joan, you don’t need to change your passwords monthly. Just choose strong passwords and keep two-factor authentication enabled and your online accounts will be about as safe as you can possibly make them. And thanks for the kind words!
Rick. I will update my passwords cause they are quite ‘sick.’ It drives me crazy to have to receive a phone call and type in numbers in order to ‘safe guard’ my accounts, isn’t there another way? I’m in my 80’s and simple is best for me. I could just not use the computer for checking account and credit cards, but I’d miss that. Will try to follow password suggestions but that too is confusing for older people. DON’T TAKE AWAY MY COMPUTER THOUGH!
I’m an author and would be lost without it! Guess I could just take my $ accounts off line.
Would that take care of worrying about being hacked? It’s just financial stuff at risk, right?
Pat, I wish I knew of a simpler to keep your online accounts and financial info safe, but I’m afraid I just don’t. The hackers and scammers are getting more sophisticated every day, and even the techniques listed in the post might not be enough to keep us safe in the not-so-distant future.
Taking all of your financial dealings and information offline would certainly reduce the chances of someone stealing your identity and defrauding you, but even that’s no guarantee with all the brick-and-mortar stores and financial institutions getting hacked these days.
Unfortunately, we’re now living in a time where simply doing business with the outside world is dangerous, whether its online or offline. As always I’ll do my very best to keep you and my other cherished readers up-to-date on the latest scams and methods for avoiding them, but it really is an uphill battle as they say.
Someone is seng my friends on messenger messages about money. I have already changed my password. How can I stop this they are in my account now in Orlando Fl. It shows they are logged in now ! Thats not me. Please help
Rita, the first thing you need to do is disable any strange apps that might be enabled on your account. This post explains how:
https://www.ricksdailytips.com/rogue-app-facebook-scam/
Next, you need to follow the instructions in this post to enable Two-Factor Authentication on your account:
https://www.ricksdailytips.com/enable-two-factor-authentication-on-facebook/