How to Secure Your Facebook Account: A Step-by-Step Guide for Seniors

Facebook connects you to family photos, old friends, and community groups. It's one of the best things about the internet for a lot of people.

It's also one of the top places criminals go looking for victims.

If your Facebook account gets hacked, scammers can impersonate you to trick your friends and family, steal personal details from your profile, access linked accounts and apps, and use your photos and information to commit identity theft.

The good news: you can lock down your account in about 15 minutes. This guide walks you through every step — in plain language, no technical background required.

Why Hackers Target Facebook Accounts

Your Facebook profile contains a gold mine for identity thieves: your full name, birthday, hometown, family members' names, and years of photos. That's exactly the information criminals use to impersonate you at a bank, reset your passwords, or apply for credit in your name.

Criminals also use hacked accounts to run "friend scams." They send messages to people on your friends list pretending to be you — asking for gift cards ("I'm stranded at the airport, can you help?") or sharing fake investment links. Your friends trust a message that comes from your account, which makes this scam especially dangerous.

Finally, Facebook is full of paid ads — including fraudulent ones for fake investments, miracle health products, and phony sweepstakes. Scammers specifically target older adults on Facebook because the platform skews toward that age group. Knowing what to look for keeps you safe.

Step 1: Set a Strong, Unique Password

The single most important thing you can do is use a strong password you don't use anywhere else.

A strong Facebook password:

Is at least 12 characters long
Mixes letters, numbers, and at least one symbol (like ! or #)
Is NOT your name, birthday, pet's name, or a simple word
Is different from the password you use for email, banking, or any other account

An easy method: Pick a memorable sentence and turn it into a password. For example, "My granddaughter Emma turned 8 in July!" becomes MgEt8iJ!. That's 8 characters with mixed case, a number, and a symbol — and it's something you can actually remember.

If keeping track of passwords feels overwhelming, a password manager solves the problem completely. It's a secure app that remembers all your passwords for you. You only need to remember one master password, and the app fills in the rest automatically.

How to change your Facebook password:

Click the small down arrow (▼) in the top-right corner of Facebook
Select Settings & Privacy, then Settings
Click Security and Login on the left side
Next to "Change password," click Edit
Enter your current password, then type your new one twice, and save

Step 2: Turn On Two-Factor Authentication

Two-factor authentication — often called "2FA" — adds a second lock on your account. Even if a hacker steals your password, they still can't get in without a special code that gets sent to your phone.

This is one of the most effective security steps you can take, and Facebook offers it for free.

How to turn on two-factor authentication:

Go to Settings & Privacy → Settings
Click Security and Login on the left
Scroll to "Two-Factor Authentication" and click Use two-factor authentication
Select Text Message (SMS) as your method — Facebook will text you a 6-digit code each time someone tries to log in from a new device
Follow the prompts to confirm your phone number

Once this is active, a hacker who gets your password still can't log into your account — because they'd also need to have your phone to receive the code. It stops the majority of account takeover attempts cold.

Step 3: Review Who Can See Your Profile and Posts

Many people have their Facebook profile set to "Public" without realizing it. That means anyone in the world — including scammers — can see your photos, your friends list, your life events, and every post you've ever made.

How to tighten your privacy settings:

Click the down arrow in the top-right corner
Go to Settings & Privacy → Privacy Checkup
Facebook guides you through four sections: your posts, your profile details, connected apps, and account security

For most people, changing posts and profile visibility from Public to Friends is the right call. You still share everything with the people you care about — but strangers can't see your information.

One more step: hide your friends list from public view. Go to Settings → Privacy, find "Who can see your friends list," and set it to Only Me. Scammers use your friends list to identify who to contact in your name, or to build a target list of other seniors to approach.

Step 4: Remove Apps You Don't Recognize

Over the years, you may have used your Facebook account to sign into other websites ("Log in with Facebook"). Those third-party apps can still access your profile information — and if they've been compromised, so can your data.

How to review and remove connected apps:

Go to Settings & Privacy → Settings
Click Apps and Websites in the left menu
You'll see a list of everything connected to your Facebook account
Click Remove next to anything you don't recognize or no longer use

Most people are surprised by what they find here — old games, news sites, services they tried once. Removing them takes two seconds and eliminates a potential back door into your account.

Step 5: Know the Scams That Live on Facebook

Securing your settings is half the battle. The other half is knowing what to watch for while you're using the platform.

Unexpected friend requests from strangers. Be very cautious about accepting requests from people you don't know personally. Scammers create convincing fake profiles to get access to your friends list and personal posts before running their con.

Urgent messages about money or gift cards. If a "friend" sends you a message saying they're in trouble and need you to buy gift cards, call that friend on the phone before you do anything. Hackers send these messages from accounts they've taken over. Your real friend has no idea it happened.

Facebook investment ads and "miracle" products. Paid ads on Facebook can be purchased by anyone — including scammers. If an ad promises you can double your retirement savings, reverse diabetes, or win a free vacation, it's almost certainly fraudulent. Real financial products don't come through social media ads with countdown timers and urgent pressure.

Speaking of protecting retirement savings: if you're looking for ways to guard your nest egg against inflation or market swings, do that research through verified, licensed sources — not social media. Augusta Precious Metals offers a free investor kit and direct access to licensed agents, so you can get real information without clicking on an ad you can't verify.

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Step 7: Use a VPN on Public WiFi

If you ever check Facebook at a library, coffee shop, doctor's waiting room, or airport, your connection may not be secure. On public WiFi, someone nearby with basic hacking tools can intercept your login information without you knowing.

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) encrypts your internet connection — essentially wrapping your data in a protective layer that makes it unreadable to anyone intercepting it. NordVPN runs quietly in the background and protects you automatically, so you don't have to change anything about how you browse.

Your Facebook Security Checklist

Run through this list before you close the page:

[ ] Changed Facebook password to something long, unique, and not used elsewhere
[ ] Turned on two-factor authentication (text message code)
[ ] Set profile and posts visibility to "Friends" (not Public)
[ ] Changed friends list visibility to "Only Me"
[ ] Reviewed and removed old connected apps
[ ] Know the warning signs: urgent money requests, investment ads, fake prizes

Checking all six boxes puts you ahead of the vast majority of Facebook users when it comes to account security.

If Your Account Has Already Been Hacked

If you suspect someone has gotten into your account, act immediately:

Go to facebook.com/hacked — Facebook built a dedicated recovery tool for this exact situation
Change your password right away from a secure device (your home computer, not public WiFi)
Check your email for login alerts from locations or devices you don't recognize
Warn your friends so they know not to respond to any strange messages from your account
File a report with the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov

Speed matters. The faster you act, the less damage scammers can do before you regain control.

You Can Use Facebook Safely

Facebook doesn't have to feel risky. With the right settings and a healthy skepticism toward unexpected messages and ads, you can enjoy staying connected with family and friends without putting yourself at risk.

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Last updated: 2026-06-25