How to Check if Someone Else is Using Your Facebook Account

As the most popular social network in the world right now, Facebook is a prime target for hackers and malware. But would you even know if your account had been compromised?

There are a few signs someone else might be using your Facebook account, including:

• Likes and follows you didn’t make
• Posts you didn’t write
• Comments you never made
• Profiles that look identical to yours but aren’t
• You’re locked out of Facebook

Some of those are easier to identify than others. You’ll quickly notice (or be notified of) likes, follows, posts, or comments. You may not notice copycat profiles though. That bit comes later.

You may also have received an email from Facebook telling you there was a login from a different location. Don’t depend on that warning though.

Checking Facebook for activity

The easiest way to see if someone else is using your Facebook account is to check the activity log:

1. Log into Facebook and select the profile menu at the top right
2. Select Settings & privacy and Activity log
3. Check the log for anything you don’t recognize

The Activity History menu on the far left is also a good place to check. It shows everything that has happened using your account in a clear, unambiguous way.

If you do spot something you don’t recognize, or several somethings, change your Facebook account password right away by doing the following:

1. Log into Facebook and select the profile menu at the top right
2. Select Settings & privacy, then click on Settings
3. Select Security and login on the left-hand-side
4. Select Change password in the Login section in the center pane

Once your password has been changed, we also recommend enabling two-factor authentication. This is accessed in the section under Login.

You can optionally select to enable alerts for unrecognized logins underneath the two-factor authentication section. This will send an email to verify a login is legit when you try to log in from a location or device you haven’t used before.

It is important to note that this measure by itself won’t prevent someone using your account once accessed. Instead, it serves as an alarm to notify you as soon as it happens to ensure that you are able to quickly change your password and secure your account.