If your bank account has been hacked, you should contact your bank immediately, change your bank account password, and freeze your credit report. Since your savings are at stake, you need to act quickly when you find out that your bank account has been hacked.

Read on to discover the most common signs of a hacked bank account and what to do if someone hacks your bank account.

Signs of a hacked bank account

You can tell if your bank account has been hacked if you recognize the following signs:

By the time you realize your account has been compromised, a hacker has likely locked you out of your account, emptied your bank account, or made countless purchases with your card. Your bank may recognize this activity as suspicious, cancel any fraudulent pending charges, and issue you a new credit or debit card.

Despite the panic or fear you may feel if your bank account has been hacked, there are a number of steps you can take immediately to protect your money and privacy.

1. Contact your bank

As soon as you realize that your bank account has been compromised, contact your bank immediately by calling the phone number on the back of your credit or debit card. The sooner you contact your bank, the better chance they have of limiting your financial losses. Most banks have contact details for specific departments to report fraud, but if you contact someone at your local bank branch, they will be able to direct you to the right people to speak to. Your bank should also give you the option of freezing your account; more on that later.

2. Change your bank account password

Assuming you still have access to your bank account, you should change your bank account password immediately to protect your information. If you used the same password for your bank account as you do for other online accounts, you should update the passwords for all other accounts. Not only can you quickly change all of your passwords with Keeper Password Manager, but you can also create strong and unique passwords for each of your accounts using the built-in password generator. The password you create for your bank account must be at least 16 characters long and contain a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols, and cannot be reused for any other account.

3. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on your bank account

Make sure to set up Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on your bank account as soon as possible. MFA is an extra layer of security for each account you enable it on, requiring anyone trying to access your account to provide additional proof of identity beyond just your username and password. Types of MFA include a PIN, a fingerprint scan, a code from an authenticator app, or even your geographic location. Enabling MFA on your bank account ensures that no one can access your data, even if your username and password are compromised. For example, you’ll be required to provide your face ID or fingerprint every time you log in to your bank account, ensuring that no one but you can access your account.

4. Freeze your credit report

To protect your money and your identity, you must freeze your credit report by contacting each of the three major credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax). A credit freeze prevents creditors from accessing your credit report, which also prevents them from approving you for new loans or lines of credit. This protects you from identity theft or fraud if someone else gains access to your bank account and tries to open lines of credit in your name.

5. Dispute fraudulent charges with your bank

Once you’ve notified your bank that your account has been compromised, you should dispute any fraudulent charges so that you don’t get stuck with the charges. You can usually dispute fraudulent charges over the phone, on your bank’s website, or through your banking app. You should dispute these charges as soon as you discover a fraudulent charge. Make sure you have proper documentation of the fraudulent charge to show your bank. Getting your money back isn’t always guaranteed, but the sooner you dispute it, the better your chances of getting your money back and avoiding future charges.

6. Stay alert for suspicious activity

Be alert for suspicious activity not only on your bank account, but also on all of your other accounts. As mentioned earlier, if you use the same password for your bank account and other online accounts, a hacker can use your login credentials on multiple websites to gain access to your information. Be on the lookout for transactions you didn’t make or suspicious login attempts on all of your accounts.

Will I get my money back if my bank account is hacked?

Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that you will get your money back if your bank account is hacked. If you report fraudulent transactions as soon as you identify them, your bank will likely work with you and issue you a refund. However, whether they can help you depends on the amount of money that was stolen, how long it took you to report the fraud, and how the money was taken from your bank account. Sometimes, the only way to get your money back is to take legal action against the person who stole it. If that person is an anonymous scammer, you will not be able to get your money back this way.

Protect your bank account from hacking attempts

If your bank account gets hacked, it can make your life worse. That’s why it’s important to know how to protect your money and identity from being stolen. One easy way to make your bank account more secure is to use Keeper Password Manager . It can generate a random and secure password for your account and also store it in a secure digital vault.

Try Keeper Password Manager free for 30 days and protect your bank account and all other accounts from hackers.