More than 560 social media and email hacking reports made to PSNI in six months
More than 560 social media and email hacking reports were made to police in Northern Ireland during the first six months of 2025/26 financial year, prompting a warning for people to better protect their online accounts.
Figures released by the Police Service of Northern Ireland show 563 reports involving social media and email account hacking were recorded between 1 April 2025 and 30 September 2025.
Police are urging people to strengthen the security of their accounts, warning that criminals who gain access can use them to target victims’ friends, relatives and contacts.
Social media and email hacking reports top 560
The figures highlight the scale of attempts by criminals to gain control of people’s online accounts.
Once access has been obtained, compromised social media or email accounts can potentially be used to access personal information, impersonate the account holder or send fraudulent messages to other people.
The apparent legitimacy of a message coming from the account of somebody a victim knows can make this type of fraud particularly convincing.
Criminals may also change passwords and security information after gaining access, making it more difficult for the genuine account holder to regain control.
Police urge public to strengthen account security
The PSNI is encouraging people to take relatively simple precautions to make it harder for criminals to compromise their accounts.
One of the most important measures is enabling two-step verification, also known as two-factor authentication, wherever it is available.
This provides an additional layer of security beyond a password and can help prevent somebody accessing an account even if they have obtained the password.
People are also advised to use strong, unique passwords rather than using the same password across several different online services.
Email accounts are particularly important to secure because they can often be used to reset passwords for other accounts belonging to the same person.
Be wary of unexpected messages
People should also be cautious when receiving unexpected messages containing links or asking for personal information, even when the message appears to have come from somebody they know.
A compromised social media account can be used by criminals to contact friends and family while posing as the genuine account holder.
Requests for money, security codes or other sensitive information should therefore be independently verified before taking any action.
People should also avoid sharing one-time passcodes or account verification codes with anyone else.
What to do if an account is hacked
Anyone who believes one of their accounts has been compromised should change their password as quickly as possible and check whether security details or recovery information have been altered.
Passwords for any other accounts using the same credentials should also be changed.
Victims should follow the account provider’s recovery process and warn friends and family if there is a possibility that fraudulent messages have been sent from the compromised account.
Suspicious activity and cybercrime can also be reported to the relevant authorities.
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External link: PSNI – Social Media and Email Hacking campaign from Report Fraud