Snapchat is a social media platform where you communicate with people worldwide through visual media. That means while you’re exchanging pictures and videos with other users, this private data is at risk of landing in the wrong hands.
For this reason, most users only add close friends and people that can be trusted on their accounts. This way, they’re not only preventing the possible misuse of their pictures/videos but also ensuring that they don’t add the wrong person in their friends list, most precisely a hacker.
On the other hand, some people do not have extra filters to add people as friends. They will take a quick look before accepting the request. This may result in them adding bots and suspicious people to their accounts. If you fall in the same category and are wondering can someone hack your Snapchat by adding you, then this guide is all you need.
Continue reading to learn all about it!
Is It Safe to Add Random People on Snapchat?
The creators of Snapchat intended to develop a platform for a private experience. The company understands the importance of personal data and how it should be kept between your close people. For that reason, they introduced the concept of stories and snaps that disappear after 24 hours of being posted or shared.
Recently, Snapchat also released a feature that recommends people you may know. The assumptions are based on mutual friends, phone contacts, common interests, and more. This will enable you to expand your friend list and allow random people to send you a friend request.
Now, as any social media platform becomes popular, privacy becomes the main concern for the users. Moreover, you can’t ignore the increase in the number of hackers and bot accounts. Since Snapchat contains all your private data, adding users you don’t know personally may put your pictures and chats at risk.
Snapchat now has several hackers, spam accounts and bots that will send you friend requests out of nowhere. Once you add them back, they will either remove you to enhance their reach or attack your private data through illegal means. Therefore, it is not recommended to add people you don’t know on Snapchat.
Can You Get Hacked on Snapchat by Adding Someone?
A number of Snapchat users use the Quick Add feature to add more people to their accounts. This not only expands their friend list but also enhances their reach and helps them increase their snap score.
However, one easy action may expose your account to a privacy breach. When you add random people, you don’t know whether they are real accounts or simply bots. Even if they are real, catching their true intentions is not possible.
Although simply adding unknown people does not compromise your account, you should be a bit careful while doing so. When you decide to take the risk and add people to your Snapchat friend list, make sure not to open links or media that these people send you through chat or snaps.
How to Tell If Your Snapchat Account Has Been Hacked?
Fortunately, Snapchat has not been attacked by a mega breach like other social media platforms such as Tumblr, Yahoo, etc. But this doesn’t eliminate the fact that many Snapchat user accounts have had their accounts hacked in the past few years.
If you’ve recently added someone you shouldn’t and believe that your account has been or might get hacked by them, here are a few tips that will help you determine it.
1. Unusual Activity.
Right after you add a suspicious person, you should keenly observe your account settings. If you notice a weird change or more random people in your friend list you don’t remember adding, it would be safe to assume that your account has been hacked. Keeping a check on the sent and received messages would also be a good measure if you want to stay safe.
2. Constant Expiration of Login Sessions.
A great measure taken by Snapchat to help you keep a check on your log in sessions is that you can’t access your account from multiple locations at a time. Hence if you keep on getting logged out of your account, it’s a sign that your account is being signed in from another device. And if you don’t remember sharing your password with someone else, your account is now hacked.
3. Snapchat Warning Notifications.
Similar to how most web services work, Snapchat sends its users emails or text messages to their linked details informing them about their security. The notifications will contain information regarding any change made in their accounts, such as an updated password, email address, phone number, or a new login session from an unusual location.
When you receive such messages from Snapchat, and it wasn’t you who carried out such actions, it means someone else has your account’s access. In such a situation, you need to immediately take the necessary measures to prevent losing your account and its data entirely.
How to Protect Your Snapchat Account From Hackers?
While adding random people is one way to present your account to possible hacks, there are other measures you should take to ensure maximum safety for your account. Still, if you want to add new people because you want to become popular on the platform and prefer hype of your content over privacy, make sure to follow some of the tips mentioned below:
1. Enable Two-Factor Authentication For Snapchat.
Two-factor authentication is not available across numerous platforms that lets you secure your account efficiently. To enable this function, you need to have an email account or a phone number connected to your account.
Then, any time you log in to Snapchat, it will send you a code either through a text message or an email through which you can verify your identity. Once approved, Snapchat will allow you to enter your account.
Here’s what you need to do:
- First, open the Snapchat app on your device and head to your profile by tapping on the Bitmoji icon at the top left.
- Now, tap on the Gear icon to access your account settings.
- Next, go to Two Factor Authentication.
- On the next screen, tap on the Continue button.
- Then, select either a Text Message or an Authentication App.
- Continue following the on-screen instructions to enable two-factor authentication.
Some of the popular choices for an authentication application include Google Authenticator and Duo.
2. Create A Unique Password For Your Snapchat Account.
Your account’s password is the primary factor through which your account gets hacked. Most hacking softwares and tools work by shortening down the possible combinations. A unique or strong password is the one that has a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols and consists of at least eight characters.
This way, any hacker will have an almost infinite series of combinations, rendering it impossible to guess the actual password for your account. If you’re unsure how to create a strong password, you can use an online generator tool.
Since complicated passwords are difficult to remember, we recommend storing them in a password manager. Most browsers and smartphones come with built-in password managers, so you won’t have to spend anything extra.
3. Avoid Interacting With Unknown Users.
If you want to protect your information, it’s best to avoid talking to unknown people, especially those too curious about your life. This is because most hackers use the social engineering method to gather as many details about you as possible before using it against you by taking over your account.
If you’re not comfortable sharing information with someone, immediately block their account. Snapchat also offers a feature that lets you prevent unknown people from contacting you at all. To do so, follow the steps below:
- Launch the Snapchat application and tap on the Bitmoji icon.
- Next, go to settings by tapping on the Gear icon in the upper left corner.
- Now, scroll down to Who Can and select Contact Me.
- Finally, choose My Friends only to allow people added to your account to contact you.
4. Verify Your Information.
The information on your account must be legitimate in case you ever have to go through the account recovery process. If you enter made-up details like your date of birth, you won’t remember it at the time of need.
Furthermore, a false email address will never be verified. So if your account ever gets into the wrong hands, even the Snapchat Support team will be unable to help you get your account back.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
Can Someone Hack Your Snapchat By Adding You as a Friend?
It is possible for a person to hack your Snapchat account by adding you through various means. Your account can be compromised by a friend sending you strange links or snaps. Moreover, if somebody hacks into the email linked to your Snapchat, they can then gain access to your Snapchat account.
How to secure your Snapchat account?
Although Snapchat is a relatively secure social media network, there are several precautions you should take to keep it safe from hackers. This includes selecting a strong and complicated password, setting up two-factor authentication, and verifying your email and number on the app.
Most importantly, you should never share your account credentials with anyone, regardless of how close they are to you.
Wrapping Up: Can Someone Hack Your Snapchat By Adding You As a Friend
To conclude, everybody desires their privacy and doesn’t want anybody to breach it. When it comes to social media apps, one should be extra careful to secure their accounts by any means. Although adding unknown people doesn’t pose a serious threat to your account’s security, you should be cautious while doing so.
This guide has fully answered your question of can someone hack your Snapchat by adding you. We hope by now you’re fully informed on the measures you should take to ensure your account is safe. If you have more queries on this topic, don’t forget to utilize the comments section below. We’ll be more than happy to assist further.
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