A hacked WhatsApp starts begging your contacts for ₹20,000 'emergencies' within minutes. A hijacked Instagram runs crypto scams on your followers or demands ransom for return. Treat it as two parallel emergencies: platform recovery (get the account back) and damage control (protect your people and your legal position).
WhatsApp takeover — recovery steps
- Reinstall WhatsApp and register your own number — entering the SMS code forces the hacker's session out
- If they enabled two-step PIN, use 'Forgot PIN' → email reset; worst case the PIN lapses after 7 days of waiting — the account is not lost
- Enable your own two-step verification the moment you are back in
- Broadcast a warning to contacts through another channel immediately — the money-begging window is the first few hours
Instagram takeover — recovery steps
- Use instagram.com/hacked — the dedicated flow, not the normal login page
- If the email/phone were changed, look for Instagram's 'security notice' email in your inbox — its revert link works even after changes
- Video-selfie identity verification is available for accounts with photos of you — persistent retries matter
- Never pay a ransom demand for the account, and never pay Instagram 'recovery services' on Google — both are scams
Why the legal track runs in parallel — not after
File on cybercrime.gov.in the same day. Three reasons. First, hacking, identity theft and impersonation are offences — IT Act Sections 66, 66C, 66D — and a documented complaint activates real legal channels to platforms. Second, if the hacker defrauds your contacts from your account, the complaint timestamped BEFORE those frauds is what protects you. Third, platforms respond dramatically faster to law-backed notices than to forgotten in-app tickets; a properly framed legal escalation regularly revives 'stuck' recovery cases.
For business accounts, creators and matters involving extortion, get counsel involved on day one — lost accounts are lost revenue, and extortion of any kind (money for your account back) is prosecutable under BNS Section 308.
Facing this situation right now?
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