Ever feel like something is a little bit “off” about your Facebook account? Maybe your friends list is packed with people you don’t even recognize, or conversations are showing up in Facebook Messenger that you know you never participated in?
Sometimes when a hacker gains control of a social account they do their best to fly under the radar and try to use the account to get more information on others they can exploit. In those cases, the actual account holder might notice messages from people they don’t recognize or new friends they never added.
Thankfully, Facebook makes it pretty easy to see every single device that’s logged in to your account, and you can use this powerful tool to see if anyone is poking around in your profile without your permission.
Here’s how to use it:
- First, click the menu-drop down on the Facebook website.
- Click ‘Settings’
- On the left hand menu, click ‘Security and Login’
- Find the ‘Where You’re Logged In’ list and click ‘See More’ to expand it
Now you’ll see a list of every single device that has access to your Facebook account, along with the date that it was logged in and usually also the location.
Most (or hopefully all) of the things on the list will be devices you recognize, like your phone, laptop or desktop computer, or maybe a smart TV or game system like a PlayStation or Xbox.
However, if you see something you know shouldn’t be there — like a phone that’s not yours or a computer signed in from a totally different state (or country), it’s possible that someone you don’t know has been accessing your account.
If this happens, click the little menu icon next to that device and then select “Remove” to force that device to log out. Once you’ve done that, always reset your account password and pick a new, totally different login word or phrase, since yours might be compromised. It’s also a good idea to set up two-factor authentication and give yourself an added layer of security.