How to get help if you're Hacked?

We entrust a lot of our personal data - from bank details to confidential emails - to online services. It's convenient, because it means we can access the data from anywhere whenever we want. The risk is that anyone who knows your password can access all that private information and even steal your identity. Aside from choosing a strong password in the first place, here are some essential links and tips to help you resolve problems if one of your online accounts is compromised. We've provided specific information for a range of popular services to help you get assistance as quickly as possible.

Amazon.co.uk
If you think your Amazon.co.uk account has been compromised, contact customer service at http://bit.ly/ amazon240, either via email or by getting someone to call you back. If you can't log in to access your account, click 'skip sign in' at the bottom of the page to go directly to the contact form. Alternatively, telephone the online store during business hours on 0800496 1081 for more immediate help.

eBay
If you lose access to your eBay account or think that unauthorised transactions have taken place, go to http://bit.ly/ebay240 for support. At the bottom of the page, under More help: getting in touch with eBay', you'll find a link to Live Help, which lets you chat online to a real person to report a stolen account. There are also links for changing your account's password and checking if your contact details have been tampered with. You can phone eBay direct on 0844 4143019.

Facebook
Losing access to your Facebook account could make you feel quite violated: a hacker might pretend to be you and send abusive messages to all your friends. One Facebook member whose account was hacked told us that the perpetrator "started sending my friends messages about dieting". You should contact Facebook at http://bit.ly/facebook240 as soon as you realize your account has been hacked. If you can no longer access the email address associated with your Facebook account, use the form at http://bit.ly/face240. You'll need to know the URL of your Facebook page, such as www.facebook.com/yourname or www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=9999. Any links to your name on the profile pages of your friends should reveal this.

Google Mail
Your Google Mail login is used across other Google services, which means losing access to your account could prove disastrous. You can check to see if someone has been using your Google Mail account by clicking details' next to 'last account activity' at the bottom of the Google Mail page. This lists the last few IP addresses the account was accessed from, the location (such as UK) and the time and date your email was last accessed. If you want to safeguard your account for the future, you can go into your account settings and add a mobile number. Google can text you a code if you ever need to recover your account. If you can't access your account at all, contact Google at http://bit.ly/google240. You'll need to prove that you own the Google Mail account by telling Google the month and year you first created it and other Google products (such as Blogger or YouTube) associated with your Google account.

Hotmail
Hotmail now requires a Windows Live ID, which is also used for other Microsoft services such as Windows Live Messenger, so if a hacker manages to log into your Hotmail account then your other Windows Live accounts may also be compromised. If you think someone else has access to your Live ID account, follow the instructions at http://bit.ly/Iive240. Here, you'll find a link to the Windows Live ID Validation form (http://bit.ly/liveid240), which asks a number of questions to help Microsoft identify you as the holder of the account. These include your IP address. ISP. the last time you successfully signed in, names of any folders you've created, contacts in your address book, subjects of old emails and your date of birth.

iTunes
If your iTunes account is hacked, you can find information on how to change your
password at http://bit.ly/itunes240. If you can't do so because someone has changed the email address associated with the account, or if you think unauthorised purchases were made using your credit or debit card, you should contact iTunes Store Customer Service at http://bit.ly/itunesstore240. One of their operatives will get back to you within 24 hours.

Online banking
Banks say that if you have acted with 'reasonable care', there's no reason for you not to be refunded in full if someone takes money from your account. Increased security measures for most online banking services, such as unique passcodes and automatic log-out. have made it more difficult for hackers to access your account.
You should telephone your bank immediately if you suspect that money has been stolen from your account - for example, if a malicious keylogger has picked up your password as you were typing it or you've fallen prey to a phishing email. A phone number will be provided in the 'Contact us' section of your bank's website.
Banks may not be so forgiving if you have made repeated claims, so keep your security software updated. For more advice, visit Bank Safe Online (www.banksafeonline.org.uk).

PayPal
If you notice any unauthorised PayPal transactions. PayPal recommends that you report them via the Resolution Centre on its website (http://bit.ly/pay240). PayPal will complete its investigation into your report within 10 working days. If you aren't able to log into your account to access the Resolution Centre, you can submit details of the unauthorised transaction at http://bit.ly/paypal240. If you'd rather speak directly to a person, you can contact PayPal on 0870 730 7191. or through its Dublin call centre (international rates apply) on 00353 1 436 9004.

Twitter
Go to http://bit.ly/twitter240 for information on how to reset your password using the email address associated with your account, or to submit a support request if you can't access your email account. If you have associated any third-party applications with your Twitter username and it's a good idea to revoke access to anything that looks unfamiliar to avoid the account being compromised again.

Yahoo Mail
If you are having trouble accessing your Yahoo Mail account because somebody appears to have changed the password, visit https://edit.yahoo.com/forgot. Here you'll find an easy, step-by-step process to reset the password via a link sent to a secondary email address associated with your account. If you can no longer access the secondary address, you'll find a link to contact customer support or you can go directly to http://bit.ly/yahoo240. You could also try telephoning Yahoo's London office on 020 71311000 and selecting the option to speak to Customer Care.