[FAQ]

I think my channel was just hacked!

I woke up this morning and I can’t log in to my YouTube account. My password isn’t working, and the recovery email and phone number have been changed. I just checked my channel on my husband’s phone, and my banner is gone and it’s live-streaming some weird crypto video. Diyos ko!

I’m panicking so much. My channel has years of my family’s memories and my work on it. What is the very first thing I need to do? Who do I contact at YouTube? I’m so scared I’m going to lose everything.

Please, if anyone has gone through this, what are the exact steps I need to take right now?

[Jeff Bullas]

This is a stressful situation, but there is a clear process to follow.

Short Answer: First, attempt to secure your associated Google Account immediately. Then, your priority is to contact Creator Support by sending a public tweet to the @TeamYouTube handle on Twitter to report the channel hijack.

Using the correct communication formats and providing the right information is the key to a swift recovery of your channel and its content.

There is a specific sequence of actions you need to take. Firstly, focus on the primary communication format for this crisis, which is a public tweet to @TeamYouTube; this is their official and fastest channel for hijack recovery. Secondly, once they respond, they will guide you to a secure, private text format, usually a Direct Message, where you will need to provide several other information formats to verify your identity. Thirdly, you should prepare these information formats in advance, which must include your channel’s URL, the approximate date the hijack occurred, and screenshots of any unauthorised changes to your channel’s visual formats, like the banner, or any strange new video content that has appeared. Following this communication protocol is the most effective way to begin the process of restoring all of your original content formats.

Cheers,

Jeff

[Author]

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