Hacking complaints on Facebook jump 11 times in July, Instagram sees over 16,000
In a development raising apprehensions around cybersecurity and safety, complaints of account hacking on major social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram surged exponentially in July, with both platforms recording a steep rise in the succeeding months from the levels reported in May and June.
Metaβs India Monthly Report for July 2026 showed 10,997 hacking-related complaints on Facebook, compared with 959 in June and 658 in May. Instagram recorded an even higher 16,621 complaints in July, up from 4,197 in June and 4,652 in May.
The report, published on August 31 and covering complaints received between July 1 and July 31, shows that the increase was particularly pronounced on Facebook.
The 10,997 complaints filed in July were nearly 11 times the June figure and about 17 times the number reported in May. This translates to an average of around 355 hacking-related complaints every day during the month.
On Instagram, the July figure was roughly four times the number recorded in June. The platform received about 536 hacking complaints a day during the month.
The rise was accompanied by an increase in complaints over loss of access to pages or groups, which climbed from 3,379 in June to 6,673 in July.
Facebook also saw complaints relating to loss of access to pages or groups increase, from 884 in June to 1,156 in July.
However, complaints concerning fake profiles did not record a comparable increase on either platform, indicating that the sharp growth was concentrated in specific categories, particularly account hacking and access-related complaints.
Meta said it provided self-service or recovery tools in 10,629 of the 10,997 hacking complaints received on Facebook.
On Instagram, appropriate tools were provided in 15,425 of the 16,621 hacking-related complaints. According to Meta, 100 per cent of complaints on both platforms received a response.
However, the figures do not represent confirmed cyber break-ins or the number of cases registered with the police.
They reflect complaints submitted by users through Metaβs official grievance mechanism. A response or the provision of recovery tools also does not establish whether an account was ultimately recovered.
The report does not disclose how many accounts were actually compromised, how many were successfully recovered or how many remained inaccessible to their original users. Meta has also not explained the reason behind the sharp increase in hacking complaints during July.
The report carries another important caveat. Meta said that due to technical issues, the accuracy of data relating to complaints filed under specific categories could not be verified, although it stated that the overall grievance-report figure was correct.
The July data therefore highlights a substantial rise in user-reported account-hacking complaints across both platforms, but leaves the eventual outcome of those complaints unclear.
Further monthly reports and additional information from Meta will be key to determining whether the July spike was an isolated development or part of a sustained increase in account-access and hacking complaints.- Ends
I am braodcast journalist for the last 14 numbers of years covering security issues, policy, government and politics . I have rich experience of reporting on terrorism, financial frauds and corruption in South Asia. at present associated with India Today Group , World's leading news channel, as a senior journalist and primarily reports on internal security and intelligence agencies. India Today Group has honoured me with " Most Valuable Journalist " several times for my best news coverage.
