How to recover your stolen WhatsApp account | How-to

How to recover your stolen WhatsApp account

All you need to do to recover your stolen WhatsApp account is to use the six-digit verification code.

By: HT TECH
| Updated on: Aug 20 2022, 21:10 IST
WhatsApp has 2 billion monthly active users.
WhatsApp has 2 billion monthly active users. (Pixabay)
WhatsApp has 2 billion monthly active users.
WhatsApp has 2 billion monthly active users. (Pixabay)

WhatApp is a popular messaging app. Not only is it loved by its 2 billion users, but it's also well liked by hackers and malicious actors who aim to spread misinformation or, worse, gain access to users accounts. WhatsApp uses a strong end-to-end encryption technology to ensure that contents of users' chats remain safe. While that keeps the data safe, it doesn't ensure that malicious actors cannot gain access to users' WhatsApp accounts.

In the past week, we saw hackers using a clever technique for gaining access to users' accounts. They disguised themselves as members from WhatsApp's technical team and asked the victim to share their six-digit verification code in order to verify their identities. To recall, the six-digit verification code is used for verifying accounts in WhatsApp at the time of registration.

This means if a user provides this code to the hacker, they would no longer be able to use their WhatsApp accounts. While the user who highlighted this scam in a query to WABetaInfo didn't share the verification code with the hacker, someone else might. So what do you do? How do you recover your WhatsApp account?

Thankfully, WhatsApp has an answer to this question. The company has a FAQ page dedicated to the method users can use to recover their stolen accounts. Here's what you need to do:

Step 1: Sign into WhatsApp with your phone number.

Step 2: Verify your phone number by entering the 6-digit code you receive via SMS. Once you do so, the hacker will automatically be logged out of your account.

Step 3: If you have enabled two-step verification in your account, you will be asked to enter the code. Enter the code and you're good to go.

Step 4: If you don't know this code, WhatsApp cautions that the individual using your account might have enabled two-step verification. In this case, you will have to wait for 7 days to sign in your account.

Good news is that, while you may not be able to access your account, the hacker won't be able to do so either, which in turn would ensure the safety of your account. “Regardless of whether you know this verification code, the other individual was logged out of your account once you entered the 6-digit SMS code,” WhatsApp wrote in its FAQ page.

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First Published Date: 30 May, 07:00 IST
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