The short answer
- 1Most takeovers start with a stolen login code.
- 2From a trusted device: end unknown sessions, then turn on Two-Step Verification.
- 3Check recovery and login emails and connected sites; warn your contacts.
In this article
Signs someone else is in your account
- A login notice from Telegram about a device you do not recognise.
- Devices or locations you do not know in your Devices list.
- Messages you did not send, or friends asking about strange requests "from you".
- Your name, photo, username or Two-Step Verification password changed.
- You were logged out on your own phone.
Almost every Telegram takeover starts with one step: someone got a login code, usually because they persuaded the owner to read it out or type it into a fake page.
If you can still open Telegram
Act in this order, from a device you trust:
- Open Devices (Telegram Desktop: Privacy and Security, Active sessions) and end every session you do not recognise, or use Terminate All Other Sessions. If Telegram refuses because you only just logged in, see the 24-hour wait.
- Turn on Two-Step Verification, or change its password if it was already on, and add a recovery email you control.
- Check your recovery and login emails are yours; an intruder may have changed them. See login email.
- Check connected websites and bots that use "Log in with Telegram", and disconnect any you do not recognise.
- Tell your contacts not to act on messages sent from your account during the takeover, especially requests for money or codes.
- Terminate All Other Sessions - logs out every device except the one in your hand, including a lost phone
The location line is replaced with a placeholder in this picture. Your own screen shows the city and country Telegram estimates for each device.
If you have been locked out
- You still have the SIM: log in again with your number. If the intruder set a Two-Step Verification password you do not know, use Forgot password?; without access to the recovery email, a reset takes time. See account recovery.
- You lost the SIM too (for example, a SIM swap): contact your phone provider at once to block it and get your number back.
- Your account was used for spam and is now limited or frozen: see a frozen account.
So it does not happen again
- Never read out or forward a login code. Telegram never asks for it.
- Keep Two-Step Verification on, with a recovery email.
- Never scan a QR code someone sends you; it logs their device in. See QR login.
- Check Devices now and then.
Next step: can deleted chats be recovered?
FAQ
What should I do if my Telegram account is hacked?
From a device you trust, end unknown sessions in Devices, turn on or change Two-Step Verification, and check your recovery email.
How did someone get into my Telegram account?
Usually by getting a login code from you, through a fake message, page or call, or through a SIM swap.
Can someone recover my hacked Telegram for a fee?
No. Such offers are scams. Telegram's help is free and comes through the app.
Sources
At a glance
- 1Now
Terminate unknown sessions; set or change the password.
- 2Then
Check emails, connected websites and bots; warn contacts.
- 3Locked out
Log in with your SIM; get the SIM back if swapped.
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