If You Get A Random Facebook Reset Code Text
I was asked this morning, by a couple of people, about random text messages received concerning a Facebook Password reset code. The question was basically
Why do i keep getting password reset text messages while have not reset it.
As shown in this sample, here is what they were randomly getting
So Why Does Someone Get A Password Reset Code Text from Facebook?
If we take the assumption that you aren’t the one making the password reset request, and since you are surprised about getting the text makes me think my assumption is right, then we have a couple of possibilities. Some of the possibilities are
- You logged in somewhere and logged out. Your login name is now in the user name box. Someone else is now trying to log in using their password, not realizing that it’s your id in the user name box, not theirs. So they are not able to log in. Believe it or not, as an IT tech, it’s at least once or twice a week I get the I can’t log in call and it turns out that someone else’s id is in the user name box. So other than being annoying its not a big deal.
- A hacker using a bot is trying to trick Facebook, to discover or guess your password. This is concerning. However, if you have a complicated password (and using Password1 isn’t complicated), it shouldn’t be too big a risk. If your password is Password1, you really need to change it to something more complicated, that should include upper case letters, numbers, and characters like the @ in the password.
- It’s a phishing attempt. This means that someone is sending out random text messages, hoping that you will believe them and click the link, where you will either download something or be taken to a fake page that looks like Facebook to then trick you to give up your actual info. This one is the most common. The page can look like the example below, which looks legit but look carefully at the www address in the picture.
So What Can You Do?
I wish I had a better answer, but the only thing I can tell you if you didn’t request the password reset code, is to DO NOTHING with the text. What you can do is the following
- If your Facebook account and the email account you use as your FB login name share the same password, you should change your password on both. Change your password by logging into Facebook and going into setting to change your password.
- If you want to be extra cautious, you could turn on 2-factor authentication in Facebook.
- If your Facebook password is easy to guess, like Password1, change your password to something more complicated.
- You can also go into your Facebook security settings and look at the section that says “Where You’re Logged In“. In that area, you can review and log out of any and all computers that you have logged into Facebook.
What Happens If Your Facebook Account Is Compromised
If you want to be proactive and your account isn’t compromised yet, you can go into your security settings and select 3 to 5 “Trusted Contacts” that you can use to help get your account back if you are ever hacked.
If your account is compromised, you can visit facebook.com/hacked and follow the steps shown by Facebook to recover your account.
Final Thoughts
I wish I could tell you there was more, but unfortunately, when it comes to getting unexpected reset text codes, Facebook doesn’t have many options. You just need to make sure you take precautions to sure your account.