What to Do If Someone Changed Your Email or Phone Number

 If someone changes the email address or phone number connected to your online account without permission, your account may have been compromised.

Act quickly. An attacker may be trying to block you from recovering the account.

1. Check Security Alerts First

Look for emails or notifications saying that your:

• Email address was changed

• Phone number was changed

• Password was reset

• New device signed in

Some services include a link to reverse an unauthorized change. Only use it if you can verify that the message genuinely came from the service.

2. Change Your Password Immediately

If you can still access the account, change your password immediately.

Use a new, unique password that you have never used before.

If the same password was used on other accounts, change those passwords too.

3. Restore Your Email and Phone Number

Open the account's security or recovery settings.

Check:

• Recovery email

• Phone number

• Backup recovery methods

Remove unfamiliar information and restore your correct details whenever the service allows it.

4. Sign Out Unknown Devices

Review devices and active login sessions.

Sign out any device, browser, or location you do not recognize.

If the service offers a sign out of all devices option, consider using it after changing your password.

5. Enable Two-Factor Authentication

Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) after regaining control.

Whenever possible, use a secure authentication method supported by the service.

Never share authentication or recovery codes with another person.

6. Secure Your Email Account

Your email account is especially important because it may be used to reset passwords for many other services.

Check your email account for:

• Unknown logins

• Changed recovery information

• Suspicious forwarding rules

• Connected apps you do not recognize

Change your email password if you suspect it was compromised.

For more detailed steps, read our guide on how to secure your email account after a hack or scam.

7. Use Official Account Recovery If You Cannot Sign In

If the attacker has locked you out, use the service's official account recovery process.

For a Google Account, you can use Google's official Account Recovery page to try to regain access.

Avoid people who promise to recover your account for money.

Never give a self-described “recovery expert” your password or verification code.

8. Check Other Important Accounts

If your email, phone number, or password was compromised, review other important accounts too.

Pay particular attention to:

• Banking and payment accounts

• Social media

• Shopping accounts

• Cloud storage

Look for unauthorized changes or login activity.

For broader protection, review our complete guide on how to protect your online accounts from hackers.

Quick Recovery Checklist

• Check genuine security alerts

• Change your password

• Restore recovery email and phone number

• Remove unknown devices

• Enable two-factor authentication

• Secure your email account

• Use only official recovery channels

• Review other important accounts

Final Thoughts

An unexpected change to your recovery email or phone number can be an early warning of account takeover.

Act quickly, regain control through official channels, secure your email, and remove unauthorized access.

Never pay strangers or share security codes with anyone claiming they can recover your account.