How to secure your Facebook account from report

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   Table of Contents Show

   • Set up Trusted Friends
   • Keep Your Information Between Friends
   • Don’t Accept Random Friend Requests
   • Use a Strong and Unique Password
   • Don’t Log Into Services with Facebook

   Make sure you're logging in on the correct website. If you're using a web browser to access Facebook, make sure the address bar actually says www.facebook.com and not something like facebook.co, face.com, or facebook1.com, etc. Phishers often choose sites that you may accidentally type into your address bar when in a hurry.

   • Be especially careful when clicking links in email messages from Facebook. Scammers may send emails that look like they are from Facebook but are rogue sites that steal your data. If you click or tap a Facebook link in an email and you see any domain name that isn't "facebook.com," do not enter your password or any other personal info.

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   Do not accept friend requests from people you don’t know. Scammers can create fake accounts and friend people. Once they’ve friended you, they can spam your timeline, tag you in posts, send you malicious messages, and even target your friends.

   • If your birthday and location are viewable by your Facebook friends, and you regularly update your whereabouts, scammers might be able to use your details and updates to crack your passwords or even break into your home when they know you’re away on vacation.
   • Be wary if you receive a friend request from someone you think you're already friends with. Scammers often mimic real peoples' profiles and try to make friends with their friends.

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   Click carefully. Your friends aren’t immune to spam. If a friend posts a suspicious link or "shocking video" or sends something strange in a message, don’t click it—even if it's from someone you know. If one of your Facebook friends clicks on a spam link, they could accidentally send it over to you.[5] X Research source Go to source

   • This also goes for sketchy looking websites, browser plug-ins and videos, and suspicious emails and notifications. If you ever receive an email asking for your password for any account that you have, do not respond. Reputable companies will never request your password over email.

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   Review your account purchases regularly. If you make purchases on Facebook, be sure to review your purchase history regularly. That way, if someone does manage to get into your account and spend money, you can seek help from Facebook’s Payments Support Center.

   • To see your payment history on a computer, visit https://secure.facebook.com/facebook_pay/payment_history.
   • If you're using a phone or tablet, tap the three horizontal lines or blue-and-white "f", tap Facebook Pay, and then scroll down to the "Payment History" section.
   • To review your payment history, go to "Settings" and then click on the "Payments" tab.

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   Report someone on Facebook. How you report something will depend upon what you’re reporting.[6] X Research source Go to source

   • To report a profile, go to the profile you want to report, click or tap the three horizontal dots (…) near the top, select Find Support or Report Profile, and follow the on-screen instructions.
   • To report a problematic post, navigate to the post, click or tap the three horizontal dots (…) near the top, select Find Support or Report Profile, and follow the on-screen instructions.
   • To report a message, open the message you'd like to report in Facebook (or Messenger on a phone or tablet), click the gear or tap the person's name, and select Something's Wrong. Follow the on-screen instructions.

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   Block suspicious people on Facebook. If someone is harassing you, sending you multiple repeated friend requests, or is trying to hack you, it's best to just block them. People won't be notified when they are blocked by you unless they try to view your account. Blocking people makes sure that they are removed from your friends list, trusted contacts, and prevents them from harassing you. To block someone, click or tap the three dots at the top of their profile, select Block, and follow the on-screen instructions.

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   Log out of Facebook when not using your own computer. This is particularly important if you’re using a computer at a library or internet café, where many people you do not know will use the computer throughout the day.

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   Scan for malware and viruses regularly. Malware may help hackers circumvent Facebook's security tools to get access to your account. From there, it can collect personal information, send status updates and messages that appear to be from you, or cover your account with ads that will crash your computer.[7] X Research source Go to source There are a number of free anti-malware programs available online. Facebook recommends ESET and Trend Micro as free scanning tools.[8] X Research source Go to source

   • Your computer may have malware on it if you have recently tried to watch a "shocking video" via a Facebook post; if you have visited a website claiming to offer special Facebook features; or if you have downloaded a browser add-on that claims to do the impossible (for example, allowing you to change the color of your Facebook profile).[9] X Research source Go to source

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   Keep all software up to date. In particular, ensure that whatever browser you are using is up to date. Facebook supports Firefox, Safari, Chrome, and Internet Explorer.

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    Know how to spot a phishing scam. If you receive an email or Facebook message asking for your personal information, it could be a phishing attempt. Always report all Facebook-related phishing attempts to Facebook via email at .[10] X Research source Go to source To avoid getting "phished" (scammed), beware of the following:

    • Messages claiming to contain your password as an attachment.
    • Images or messages with links that don’t match what you see in your status bar when you hover over them.
    • Messages asking for your personal information such as your password, credit card info, driver’s license, social insurance number, date of birth, etc.
    • Messages claiming that your account will be deleted or locked unless you act immediately.

Facebook has become an essential platform for a significant number of the human population in modern life. It can be integral for small businesses and individuals alike.

It can be financially and emotionally crippling to have your Facebook account hacked or compromised. So, how can you keep your account safe?

How to Secure your Facebook Account from Hackers

Facebook comes with a built-in two-factor authentication system. This feature requires you to use a phone number or specific mobile app whenever you log into the site. Beyond your password, 2FA serves as a simple but significant layer of protection for your account.

To activate 2FA, log into your account and navigate to your ‘Settings’ menu, then click ‘Security and login.’ Under the ‘Two-factor authentication’ heading, click ‘Edit’ to enable the feature. You’ll have to select from an authenticator app or using your phone number, but both options provide simple instructions to follow.

Be advised: If you are going to use an app instead of your phone number as the 2FA option, then you must ensure you keep backup codes or that you use Authy, the authenticator app, with a cloud backup. If you lose your phone without a backup of your 2FA-codes to log in, you’ll lose access to your account.

Set up Trusted Friends

Facebook offers a feature that allows your friends or family to help you recover your account if you lose it. This feature is known as ‘Trusted Friends.’

Log into your Facebook account, click the triangle in the top-right of your screen, then select ‘Settings & privacy.’

On the dropdown menu that appears, click ‘Settings.’

Click ‘Security and login’ on the left of your screen.

Click ‘Edit’ next to the ‘Choose 3 to 5 friends…’ heading.

Click ‘Choose friends’ in the menu that appears.

Click ‘Choose Trusted Contacts’.

Select 3 to 5 of your friends or family to act as your trusted contacts. When you’ve decided, click ‘Confirm.’

Keep Your Information Between Friends

Facebook comes with a whole host of privacy settings to ensure you have control over your private information. To be safe, most of your information should be set so only friends can see it. Back in your settings menu, go to the ‘Privacy’ heading. Through this menu, you can control who sees your posts and how people can find your profile. It even allows you to restrict friend requests to mutual friends and prevents your information from being found by strangers.

Don’t Accept Random Friend Requests

It might seem unfriendly, but you shouldn’t accept requests from people you don’t know on Facebook. When someone you don’t know becomes your friend, they gain access to a lot of the information you’ve posted. Hackers and scammers can mine this information to target your Facebook or email accounts. To ensure your account’s security, you should avoid giving this information to strangers.

Use a Strong and Unique Password

It is dangerous to use a weak password or reuse the same password for multiple sites and services. You should avoid using a word, phrase, or date that is related to you. While the password will be easier for you to remember, it’ll also be easier for hackers to guess.

The best way to come up with a strong password is to use a password generator. If you’re worried about remembering these passwords, browsers such as Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox offer free password managers. There are paid services such as LastPass and DashLane that can be installed on most common mobile devices.

For more advice when creating your password, check our guide to common password mistakes.

Don’t Log Into Services with Facebook

Many outside websites and apps allow you to log in using Facebook rather than your email address. While this is often quicker and more convenient, it adds another potential point of access for hackers to get to your data. When you log into an outside app through Facebook, your data is shared with it. If hackers attack the sites you log into; your data may be abused.

Despite any convenience, these attached apps might bring you, the safest option is to create a new login for each app you use.

If you’ve lost access to your account, visit our Facebook account recovery guide.

If you’re worried about your Facebook account’s security, you can order a security audit here.

Featured image from REUTERS/Dado Ruvic.