What To Do When Hacked?

Getting your YouTube channel or Google account hacked is one of the most stressful experiences any creator can face. Imagine losing years of hard work, content, and even your source of income in just a few clicks. I went through this myself, and it was a nightmare—but thankfully, I was able to recover my account. To help fellow creators and Mga KaToto who might experience the same, I’ve put together some practical steps and tips that can guide you in reclaiming your hacked or hijacked account.

First Things to Do After Knowing You’ve Been Hacked

• Check the extent of th damage.
• Check your AdSense account.
• Post on social media for help. (If you don’t know what to do, sharing your case online might give you an edge as more people can guide you.)
• Look for references like articles and videos. (Just like this one, which you can now use as your reference.)

Steps to Recover Your Account

1. Tweet and follow @TeamYouTube. Inform them about what happened to your account.
2. Provide your YouTube channel link for verification if it has indeed been hacked.
3. Give an alternate Gmail account. This will be used by Creator Support to contact you and provide temporary access.
4. Fill out the Creator Support form. Be ready to provide the following details:
• Channel ID (letters and numbers, not the custom URL)
• Email address linked to the channel
• AdSense Publisher ID
• Date of the possible hijacking
• How you think the account was hijacked
• Screenshot of any phishing email you received
5. Wait for Creator Support’s email with the next steps.
• They will provide options on how to access your account.
• If nothing works, you’ll need to go through a Follow-up Escalation Claim and provide:
• How you lost access to the account
• When and where you created the account
• If you enabled 2-Step Verification (and when/where you signed up)
• The primary phone number you used during sign-up
• Any recovery options you previously added (such as a recovery email or phone number)
6. Wait patiently for updates.
7. Once cleared, you’ll be given a link to fully recover your account.

Additional Tips

• Keep copies of your blog or YouTube channel banner.
• Prepare a recent photo of yourself for verification.
• If you have a media kit, include it as well. All of these will help strengthen your claim and speed up the recovery process.

Big thanks to everyone who shared valuable information on how to recover hacked or hijacked accounts!

If I missed a few details, feel free to comment below and ask.

Thank you to all!!!!!
o @TeamYouTube
o Creator Support
o Azrael of Azrael Coladilla YouTube Channel
o Justine Montas of Starring.com.ph
o Lou Sanchez vlog about hacked account
o Ircha Gaming abo