As one of the favorite social tools, Snapchat had nearly 191 million daily active users in the first quarter of 2019. With so many users it’s no wonder that cyber criminals would like to gain access to your Snapchat account.
Several cyber attacks have already been successful
By the end of 2013, a group of hackers published a database including usernames and phone numbers of about 4.6 million users.
The next incident was in February 2016 when someone was able to mimic the CEO of Snapchat. An employee was convinced to forward the payroll of Snapchat employees to this unknown person. This successful phishing attack led to several compromised employee identities.
“Last Friday, Snapchat’s payroll department was targeted by an isolated email phishing scam in which a scammer impersonated our Chief Executive Officer and asked for employee payroll information. Unfortunately, the phishing email wasn’t recognized for what it was — a scam — and payroll information about some current and former employees was disclosed externally.” – Snapchat blog article
Mid April, an Indian group of hackers announced they had stolen data on 1.7 million users. In the aftermath though, this turned out to be a hoax. The next incident in 2018 was no hoax: Thanks to a clever phishing scam around 55000 user accounts were compromised.
Taking all of this into consideration, you might come to the conclusion that it would be really useful to watch out for signs of a hacked account.
What are some of the signs that your Snapchat account might be compromised?
1. Unusual activities
Your account doesn’t look the same as when you last logged in? Are your settings changed or is there a new display name shown? Do you have new “friends” you don’t know? This could be an indicator that someone has fiddled with your account and gained unauthorized access.
2. You have to re-login all the time
Snapchat users actually don’t have to log in that often. Once you’re logged in you normally should stay logged in. This changes if someone else has access to your account: With this person trying to log in you will be logged out every time he or she succeeds. Why? Well, with Snapchat you can only be logged in on one device at a time. So if you have to log in quite often you need to act on the assumption that someone else has unwarranted access to your account.
3. You are receiving an increased amount of emails from Snapchat
Just like many other web services, Snapchat has integrated several measures to protect its user accounts as well. Whenever there is a change to your account you will receive an email notification. This could be e.g. a password change or the change of the email address. Furthermore, you’ll receive an email as soon as Snapchat discovers a login to your account from an uncommon location. So remember: There’s a reason why you are receiving an increased amount of emails from Snapchat – go ahead and check your account settings! 😉
As you can see, it isn’t that hard to see if your Snapchat account has been hacked. You’ve lost access to your account already? Read on about how to regain access to your Snapchat account.
is it true that some people can actually see someone account without giving them your password? I read it somewhere that some people like eazihacker gmailcom specialize in that
Hi
When I downloaded snapchat from google play store and registered, created password etc. I know the data downloaded I remember seeing it with my other downloads. I was able to log in once but after that I could not log in again and I was told that my password/email did not match their information. I went back and checked my downloads and the data download iwas gone, yet I’m still able to use the app it’s self. But I started noticing problems with the app and other activity; not with my acct but I began getting calls all the time which I never answered as the numbers were unknown. I’m sure someone hacked my phone so I got better security. Still I’m not comfortable knowing someone cld be accessing my snaps, chats etc. I did contact support how long does it usually take to receive a reply? Is it possible I may have to re-register? I kno this was long but thank you in advance for any help/advice you can offer its appreciated.
I constantly have to relogin and every time i relogin one of my friends is always taken out of my Snapchat. Why does this happen
Hi Kassandra,
did you log in on your friends’ device to your Snapchat account or did your friend log in on your device to his/her account? Or do you have an active login on a second device? Then these might be the reasons why you’ve to re-login all the time. If you want to ensure you’re the only one in your account, change your login data, set up a Two-Factor Authentication, and check the Connected Apps in your settings. If all doesn’t help, contact the Customer Service team of Snapchat.
Best,
István
My friend never signed up for Snapchat but got an email saying his email was used to sign up for an account. It has a place to click “if you did not sign up for snapchat, please click here” but how do we know this email isn’t a phishing scam and clicking the link might download malware. I went to Snapchat website to see if I could delete the email address from there but couldn’t find anything. I emailed support but got the “we can’t a lot of emails and may not respond personally..” What would you do?
Hi R.Jay,
I wouldn’t click on the link either but I would copy the link address. If the domain name says “xxxx.snapchat.com/” it should (theoretically) be fine. Another step would be to google for it – and to see if other users posted about it.
Best,
István
Hey.I have a question about my snapchat account.So like if I log out of snapchat on my device and log back into it on my friends device will it log me back in on mine and the other way around?
Hi Katelynn,
You should be able to do that. Just make sure you really log out from your friend’s device. 😉
Best,
István
I feel like my snapchat account was hacked. Is there a way snapchat can tell me if my account was hacked? Please answer ASAP… Thank you
Hi Biago,
If you have the feeling your Snapchat account was hacked please note our follow-up article and/or contact the Snapchat support.
Best,
István
Hey, sometimes I open my camera only to find a video of myself from the last time I used it, but the last time I used it I know I was just taking pictures… Sometimes when I’m in another app, I hear a video of myself I know I didn’t take playing in the background on the snapchat app. Is this a problem with my phone, my settins in snapchat, or is someone whathing mE?
Hi Emily,
Make sure you’re the only one who’s using the smartphone (and that your smartphone is locked while it’s in your bag 😉 ). To ensure your Snapchat account isn’t compromised please change the password of your Snapchat account. Learn how to: https://blog.avira.com/snapchat-account-regain-access/
Best,
István
Hi again.
You told me to read your other article about lost accounts but It doesn’t really work for me because I haven’t lost access to my account. Everything is normal. There is no unusual activity going on in my account.
The problem are just these emails I keep getting from Snapchat.
IS there anything else you suggest or any idea of why this is happening?
Thanks, Mackenzie.
Hi Mackenzie,
The same reply like to your other comment: Have you already changed your password? And do you keep getting emails since then? If yes, you might also want to consider to change the password of your email account.
If you still receive such emails afterward contact Snapchat directly and tell them about your issue. Maybe they just have an issue ongoing right now.
Best,
István
Hi. Im scared. Snapchat sends me emails that someone has logged in to my account from a weird place. There is no unusual activity going on in my account everything is normal, but I keep getting this emails. Is someone hacking me? The “weird” location is different from my real location. Should I worry? I’m already worried but should I change my account? What is happening? Is it maybe because I am often logging in and out of my account because I have two accounts and when I want to change from one to another I always have to log out. Is it a glitch or is someone really hacking me?
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP
Hi Mackenzie,
Please follow the steps provided in our article Snapchat account gone? This is how you can regain access.
Good luck!
Best,
István
i am having the same problem hmu on fb messenger @ logan russell james sundeen or williams
I went on my snap and it was logged out should I be worried
Hi Haysome,
If you’re logged out just once you don’t have to worry. This can happen and sometimes even because of an update of the app. If you’re logged out continuously you should check all your other settings and change your data as described in the article.
Best,
István