Someone has taken over my account
What to do right away when someone takes over your e-mail, social media or bank account, and how to protect yourself next time.
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Step 1
E-mail, Facebook, Instagram: the first hour
Someone took over my email, Facebook, or Instagram: what to do in the first hour
Has someone taken over your email, Facebook, or Instagram? Step-by-step plan: first 5 minutes, 15 minutes, hour, and 24 hours, message templates for friends, and where to report the incident in Poland and the USA.
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A bank account
What to Do If Your Bank Account Has Been Hacked? Step by Step
Learn how to quickly and effectively respond if your bank account has been hacked; this step-by-step guide will help you secure your finances and regain control.
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Step 2
Recovering the account on each platform
Step-by-Step Account Recovery: Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Apple
Official recovery pages and key settings for Google and Gmail, Microsoft and Outlook, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Apple accounts, plus a checklist of settings to verify after regaining access.
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Step 3
Blocking your PESEL number
How to Block Your PESEL Number Step by Step and What the Blocking Actually Protects Against
Blocking your PESEL number: instructions in mObywatel and on gov.pl, methods for people living abroad, a table of what is blocked and what is not, temporary unblocking, and regulations. Legal status: October 23, 2026.
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Step 4
Securing your accounts and phone number
How to Secure Accounts After a Breach: MFA, Passkey, and Protecting Your Number from SIM Swap
Passwords and password managers, passkeys, apps instead of SMS, and protecting your number from SIM swap: PESEL restriction in Poland and free blocks from carriers in the USA. Common mistakes and myths.
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Step 5
Passwords and a password manager
Passwords, Password Managers, and Passkeys: How to Secure Accounts Without Remembering Everything
How many characters a password should have according to NIST and CERT Polska, why periodic password changes are harmful, how a password manager works, which second factor is resistant to phishing, and what passkeys really are, with instructions for Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, WhatsApp, and banks.
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Step 6
Two-step sign-in
2FA and Password Managers: How to Secure Email, Banking, and Social Media Accounts
How to protect online accounts: a password manager with a master password of 16+ characters, two-factor authentication (SMS, app, hardware key, passkey), backup codes, protection against SIM swapping, and an IRS IP PIN checklist, based on recommendations from CISA, FTC, and FCC.
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Step 7
How to spot phishing (USA)
How to Recognize Phishing in Emails and SMS: A Practical Guide for Residents of the USA
How to identify fake emails and SMS in the USA: signals according to the FTC and CISA, reading website addresses, typical SMS about packages, toll fees, and bank alerts, QR codes. A flowchart on what to do after clicking and where to report: reportphishing@apwg.org, 7726, ReportFraud.ftc.gov, IC3.
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Bank fraud in Poland
Banking and Internet Fraud in Poland: Phishing, Spoofing, Fake BLIK, and How to Recover Your Money (2026)
A quarter of a million computer fraud incidents in 2025 according to CERT Polska; current schemes and your rights include a refund for unauthorized transactions by the end of the next business day (art. 46), the burden of proof on the bank (art. 45), 13 months to report, free Financial Ombudsman service, number 8080, and PESEL and card blocking.