If you’re paying even a little bit of attention the signs will be there: it’s not hard to miss it when your Apple account has been hacked. Although getting hacked can feel like a bit of a runaway train — and you’ll be anxious to make as many changes as possible to mitigate any damage done and prevent more of your data to be compromised — some pretty significant signs will pop up earlier rather than later. The problem is that if you ignore these signs, you could wind up compromising your privacy and data in big ways, so make sure not to sleep on it if you suspect something is up with your phone.
These are five common, scary giveaways that your Apple account has been hacked. If these are happening to you, stay calm and start changing all of your passwords and replacing them with complex ones, preferably those created by a sophisticated password manager.
Strange Purchases
Are you getting emails with receipts to strange purchases you absolutely know you didn’t make? These purchases could be for apps or actual products on websites you frequent and are linked to via passwords. Don’t ignore these. Look deeper into it — this could be a sign that someone has gotten hold of your passwords, Apple ID, and credit card information.
People Are Receiving Messages You Didn’t Send
When one person calls to tell you they got an odd email in your name — and then two more people call with the same news — this is a pretty sure sign that your account has been hacked. The hacker may be fishing your contacts to see if they’ll take the bait and click on links that allow them to be hacked, too.
Items Are Deleted
Being hacked can feel like a ghost account has taken over your account and is engaging in mysterious behavior. One such behavior may be that some of your apps or messages are deleted — and you didn’t delete them yourself. This one may take a little while to realize is happening. But once you figure it out, don’t ignore it.
Your Password Stops Working
You wake up one day, go to access your device, and the password you’ve been using for ages suddenly doesn’t work. What’s going on? There’s a good chance your Apple account has been hacked and your password has been wiped out to keep you off of your device. Change your Apple ID password immediately.
You’ve Been Locked Out Of Your Account
It’s the ultimate tech nightmare: not only have your passwords been changed, but a hacker has locked you out of your account. There’s no way to handle this alone, so one of your first steps should be to go to iforgot.apple.com and begin account recovery so that you regain access over your account after the standard account recovery waiting period.
