From time to time, you hear that someone has been locked out of his/her online account. Sometimes they have lost access to the email address registered to the account, or perhaps they did something that may have violated the site’s terms of use. Or, perhaps someone has got their username (email) and password for that service and did something that was against the site’s terms.
In any case, when something like that happens, there is usually a procedure on how you can get back access to the site/service you want. Following the prescribed steps, no matter how complicated they may seem, will get you back your access to the site.
The problem is that many of these procedures can be complicated and that has, unsurprisingly, led to the creation of the account recovery services. Some players in this market are totally legit, but some of them are fishy, to say the least.
Those in the latter group also use more automated ways to get clients, especially on Twitter. In fact, as soon as someone tweets that their account has been hacked, they will quickly get a reply from a bot offering them account recovery services.
To prove the point, Motherboard used a Twitter account with no followers to tweet “help my account got hacked.” In mere seconds, they received multiple, apparently automated, accounts replying things like:
- “Dm for immediate recovery.”
- “Reach out [username] on Instagram he is honest and reliable, also fast in recovery of hacked, suspended, deleted, banned,and disabled accounts. I think he is the best.”
And so on and on…
Motherboard then messaged some of them to see what kind of information they requested and what accounts they said they could get back into. One said they offered services for “all social media accounts,” as well as bank and game accounts.
Also, some of them had immediate red flags, like they needed $65 to buy a “firewall booster online.” When asked what that is, exactly, the account said “It’s a 3D injection tool online which we use to reset account network is fast would be done within 45 min.” That’s, obviously, gibberish made to entice non-tech people into believing this is some sophisticated tool whereas in reality, it’s just an empty wording that’s part of a scam.
But that’s not all; there were also those that required the hacked account’s login details and a screenshot of it. Then again, Motherboard noted that some effective account recovery services do ask for their clients’ usernames and passwords, adding there is a risk associated with this practice as your account could be compromised by the person who manages to get in.
And it’s not just social media accounts these scam services are targeting. There are also those looking for people who can’t log into their Coinbase and other cryptocurrency accounts. Due to the way cryptocurrencies work, we would think this is even more dangerous — as someone may be able to move your crypto assets into his/her account after gaining access to your crypto wallet.
At the end, we would add that you should always use a password manager to keep all your passwords under one roof. And if, for some reason, you do lose access to some service – the best way to regain access is to take the official route. Yes, it could be time consuming but at the end of the day – you will know that you and only you will get to access your account.