Hacked WhatsApp: recover your account and warn your contacts

How your WhatsApp was stolen: the code scam

In most cases, a WhatsApp account is not technically “hacked”: the victim unknowingly handed over the 6-digit verification code. The most common scenarios:

• The fake friend: a contact (whose account was already stolen) writes “I sent you a code by mistake, can you send it back?”. That code is the key to your account.
• The fake support team: a message from “WhatsApp Team” or “Security” asks for the code to “verify” your account or “prevent its deletion”.
• The fake contest: you are asked for the code to confirm a sign-up, a vote or a prize.
• Voicemail: the scammer asks for the code to be sent by phone call; if you do not answer, it may land in your voicemail, which is sometimes accessible with a default PIN.

Golden rule: that code is only for you, and only when you set up WhatsApp yourself. Nobody, friend or “support”, ever needs to know it.

Step 1: take your account back with the SMS code

1. Make sure your SIM card works and receives SMS.
2. Open WhatsApp (or reinstall it) and enter your phone number.
3. Enter the 6-digit code you receive by SMS. As soon as it is accepted, whoever was using your account is logged out.
4. If WhatsApp asks for a two-step verification PIN you never created, the hacker set it. According to WhatsApp’s official help, you then have to wait 7 days before you can log in without that PIN. The hacker is still logged out as soon as you enter the SMS code.
5. If you are told to wait before requesting a new code, too many codes have been requested: be patient and try again later, without reinstalling the app over and over.

You can also contact support from inside the app (usually: Settings, Help, Contact us) and explain that your account was stolen. Menus can change: the official WhatsApp Help Center is the reference.

Good news: your chats are encrypted and stored on your phone. In principle, the hacker cannot see your old conversations, only messages received while they had the account.

Step 2: warn your contacts immediately

The hacker uses your account to trap your friends, family and customers: urgent money requests, fake mobile money transfers, more code theft. Every minute counts.

• Send an SMS to close contacts and post on your other networks: “My WhatsApp has been hacked. Do not answer any request for money or codes from this number.”
• Ask someone you trust to warn your important WhatsApp groups (family, work, customers).
• If you run a business, tell customers how to reach you in the meantime: another number, your official page.
• Anyone who sent money should contact their mobile money provider or bank as soon as possible and keep the evidence.

Do this right now: checklist

• Reopen WhatsApp and verify your number with the SMS code.
• Warn your contacts by SMS and on your other networks.
• Call your mobile operator if your SIM card stopped working entirely (possible SIM swap).
• Protect your voicemail with a personal PIN (ask your operator how).
• Screenshot the messages the hacker sent.
• If money is involved, file a police report with that evidence.

Secure your WhatsApp for good

1. Turn on two-step verification (usually: Settings, Account, Two-step verification) with a PIN only you know, and add a recovery email address.
2. Check linked devices (Settings, Linked devices) and log out any computer or browser you do not recognise.
3. Never share the 6-digit code or your PIN with anyone.
4. Be wary of “WhatsApp” messages threatening to delete your account or offering a “Gold” version or a badge: they are scams.
5. If a friend urgently asks for a code or money, call them on another channel before doing anything.

To spot other scams, read WhatsApp scams and number impersonation.

How My Official Links helps your customers avoid the trap

For a business, a stolen WhatsApp is a nightmare: your customers are used to ordering and paying through that number. The hacker can ask them for a deposit or send them to a “new number”.

With My Official Links, your official WhatsApp numbers are shown on your single link, which you always control. Add an alert as soon as your account is stolen and list a backup number.

If your page is certified, your numbers were verified through WhatsApp or by a phone call with a code. Customers can paste a number into Check an account to see whether it appears on a certified page. Let our team know as well through the report form. If you remove a verified number from your page, the certification may be paused until it is verified again: that is intentional.

My Official Links is not affiliated with WhatsApp or Meta and cannot unlock your account. It gives your customers a reliable reference point while you recover it.