Two weeks ago, my Instagram got hacked and, yes, I’m still side-eyeing myself for it. I fell for a phishing email that screamed urgency—copyright strike, possible suspension, click-now energy. I make my own original content, so my curiosity got me, and I clicked the link without checking if it was legit. Somewhere in that mess I entered my 2FA code (and worst case, maybe my password), and within seconds I was logged out while the hacker went full chaos mode: they changed my email, password, and phone number, disabled my 2FA and replaced it with theirs, deleted my backup codes, and disconnected my Instagram from Facebook Accounts Center. In the video, I walk through why “but I had two-factor on!” didn’t save me this time, and what recovery actually looks like when you run a pet account (aka: my face isn’t in every Reel). I tried the selfie video option over and over—like a dozen times—and kept getting “couldn’t be confirmed.” What finally worked was Instagram’s “request help from friends” recovery path, but it took three attempts and a lot of awkward convincing because you can’t choose any friend—you get a random list Instagram suggests. My biggest takeaway: stop clicking links in emails, and if you don’t see the friends option, try uninstalling and reinstalling Instagram.