Short answer
Hijacked accounts are often used to push crypto “giveaways”, investment tips or fake sales to your followers, because people trust posts from someone they know. Google’s Threat Analysis Group has documented YouTube channels hijacked and rebranded to stream cryptocurrency scams. Act in this order: warn your followers from another channel not to send money; take the account back through the platform’s official hacked-account route; remove the scam posts, stories and messages and undo changes to your name, photo and links; then report the scam and clean the device the hack came from. The FTC is blunt: only scammers demand payment in crypto, and free-money promises are always fake.
Warn people first
- Post from a second account, a business page, your website or a WhatsApp status: “My account was hacked — don’t send money or click links from it.”
- Message close contacts directly; scammers often target friends and family first.
- If followers already paid, tell them to contact their bank or payment app immediately and report it.
Take the account back through the official route
| Platform | Official starting point | Our guide |
|---|---|---|
| instagram.com/hacked | Hacked Instagram | |
| facebook.com/hacked | Hacked Facebook | |
| X | X Help Center — help with my compromised account | Hacked X account |
| YouTube | YouTube Help — recover a hacked channel | Hacked YouTube channel |
| TikTok | TikTok Support — my account has been hacked | Hacked TikTok |
Clean up once you are back in
- Change the password from a clean device and sign out of every other session.
- Delete the scam posts, stories, reels, live replays and pinned comments; restore your name, photo, bio and link.
- Check the messages sent from the account and warn the people who received them.
- Remove unknown admins, connected apps and new 2FA methods — see third-party app access.
- Check ad accounts and saved payment methods for charges you didn’t make.
- Turn on app-based 2FA or a passkey and save backup codes.
Find out how they got in
Most takeovers start with a fake login page, a reused password, a SIM swap or malware that steals session cookies. If several accounts fell at once, or the attacker got past 2FA, read session hijacking and cookie theft and clean the device before you log in again. Fake “copyright” and “verification” messages are a common starting point — see fake Meta and Instagram emails.
Report the scam
- Report the posts and any copycat accounts in the app, so they can come down while you recover.
- In the US, report crypto and investment scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov; elsewhere see where to report online fraud by country.
- Keep dated screenshots — followers who lost money may need them for their bank.
Frequently asked questions
Should I tell followers who lost money?
Yes, as soon as possible: they should contact their bank or payment app and report the scam, because acting quickly gives the best chance of stopping a payment. Keep screenshots to help them.
Can the platform restrict my account because of the scam posts?
It can. Recover the account through the official hacked-account route and remove the posts quickly; if the account is then restricted or disabled, appeal and explain that it was hacked.
How do I recognise a fake crypto giveaway?
If it promises to send back more than you send, or guarantees returns, it is a scam. The FTC says free-money promises are always fake and only scammers demand payment in crypto.
The hacker changed my email and phone. Can I still recover?
Often yes. Platforms’ hacked-account routes can verify you in other ways — for example the original email, a video selfie or ID, depending on the platform. Start immediately.
Sources: Google Threat Analysis Group — cookie theft malware targeting YouTube creators, FTC — what to know about cryptocurrency and scams, Instagram Help — hacked accounts, Facebook — hacked account, X Help Center — help with my compromised account, YouTube Help — recover a hacked channel