Security guide
Recover WhatsApp

ACCOUNT RECOVERY

How to Recover Your WhatsApp

If someone has taken over your WhatsApp, you can almost always get it back yourself. This page walks you through the first hour, getting your number back, and reporting it to WhatsApp and to NCCIA, with messages you can copy and send.

Start recovery now
Report to NCCIAContacts checked on 5 October 2026

Lost your WhatsApp? Start here.

10 steps, in the order that matters. Step 1 takes about 10 minutes.

Right now

  1. 01First hourUrgent10 min
  2. 02RecoverUrgent15 min
  3. 03PIN lockup to 7 days
  4. 04SIM problemUrgentsame day

Report it

  1. 05Report to WhatsApp5 min
  2. 06NCCIA / FIA20 min
  3. 07Money sentUrgentright away
  4. 08Number banned1 to 2 days

After

  1. 09After recovery10 min
  2. 10Questions
Start with step 1

01Step 1 of 10 · Right now · 10 minUrgent

The first hour

Speed matters more than perfect paperwork. Do these four things now, in any order, then move on to recovery.

Do this now: Tell your contacts not to send money or codes, then start recovery.

Warn your contacts

From another phone, Facebook or a family group, post: "My WhatsApp is hacked. Don't send money or codes, even if the message looks like me."

Start recovering

Open WhatsApp on your own phone and register your number again. This alone logs the hacker out. Full steps below.

Stop any payment

If anyone has already sent money, they should call their bank, JazzCash or Easypaisa helpline straight away and ask for the transaction to be held.

Save the evidence

Ask contacts for screenshots of the scam messages. Keep the dates, times, the account number money was asked for, and any transaction IDs.

Watch out for "recovery" scams

WhatsApp never asks for your code, your PIN or a fee to recover an account, and NCCIA doesn't charge to register a complaint. Anyone who offers to recover your account or your money in exchange for a code or a payment is running the same scam a second time.

02Step 2 of 10 · Right now · 15 minUrgent

Recover your account step by step

A WhatsApp number can be active on only one phone at a time. When you verify your number again with a fresh code, the other phone is logged out at once.

Do this now: Reinstall WhatsApp on your own phone and log in with your number.

  1. 1

    Step 1

    Use your own phone and SIM

    Put the SIM for the hacked number in your phone. If WhatsApp isn't installed any more, get it from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store only.

  2. 2

    Step 2

    Log back in with your number

    Open WhatsApp. If it says you've been logged out, tap Log back in, then Continue. Enter your full number with +92 and tap Next.

  3. 3

    Step 3

    Enter the new 6-digit code

    Type the code that arrives by SMS or phone call. The moment you enter it, every other device logged into your account is logged out, the hacker's phone included.

  4. 4

    Step 4

    Restore your chats

    If WhatsApp offers to restore from Google Drive or iCloud, accept. Messages the hacker sent from your account can't be undone, but your history comes back.

  5. 5

    Step 5

    Lock the door behind you

    Turn on two-step verification with your own PIN and add your email right away, so the same trick can't work twice. See After recovery below.

ANDROID

WhatsApp → Log back in → Continue → +92 number → Next → 6-digit code

iPHONE

WhatsApp → Log back in → Continue → +92 number → Next → 6-digit code

03Step 3 of 10 · Right now · up to 7 days

If WhatsApp asks for a PIN you never set

Scammers sometimes switch on two-step verification with their own PIN. You can still win this. It just takes a week. Don't keep guessing the PIN.

Do this now: If it asks for a PIN you never set, wait out the 7 days. Don't keep guessing.

Day0

Enter the SMS code

Even without the PIN, the other person is logged out as soon as you enter the 6-digit code.

Day0

Stop guessing

WhatsApp's own advice when you don't have the PIN is simple: wait 7 days and try again.

Day1 to 6

Keep your SIM in

Keep the SIM active in your phone. Use this week to file your NCCIA report and warn people.

Day7

Try again

Register your number again. Once you're in, set your own PIN straight away.

Changing a password won't throw someone out of your WhatsApp. Re-registering with the 6-digit code is the only thing that does.

04Step 4 of 10 · Right now · same dayUrgent

If your phone or SIM is lost, stolen or suddenly dead

WhatsApp can't deactivate your account for you, because it has no way to confirm you own the number. Your SIM is the proof. Get it back and the account follows.

Do this now: Call your mobile network, block the SIM and get a replacement on your CNIC.

  1. Call your mobile network straight away and ask them to block the SIM.
  2. Ask for a new SIM with the same number. You'll usually need your original CNIC at a franchise.
  3. Put the new SIM in and register WhatsApp again. Your lost or stolen phone is logged out automatically.
  4. Without a SIM for the same number, WhatsApp can't recover the account at all, so don't skip this.
  5. If the SIM died for no reason, someone may have had a duplicate issued. Mention it in your NCCIA complaint.
  6. If your network won't help, complain to PTA on 0800-55055 or at complaint.pta.gov.pk, with your network's complaint reference.

05Step 5 of 10 · Report it · 5 min

Report it to WhatsApp

Recover first, report second. WhatsApp warns that if you report the account you're trying to get back, it might be banned and you could lose it. So only write to WhatsApp if logging back in hasn't worked.

Do this now: Email WhatsApp Support from your number using the template below.

WhatsApp contact form

whatsapp.com/contact

The official way to message WhatsApp Support. Paste one of the messages below and add your number in +92 format.

Open

Compromised account help

faq.whatsapp.com

WhatsApp's own recovery steps. This page follows them.

Open

Lost or stolen phone

faq.whatsapp.com

What WhatsApp says to do when the phone itself is gone.

Open

06Step 6 of 10 · Report it · 20 min

Report it to NCCIA (formerly FIA Cyber Crime)

Account hijacking and the money fraud that follows are crimes under PECA. Since 2025 these complaints are handled by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), which took over from the FIA Cyber Crime Wing.

Do this now: File a complaint at complaint.nccia.gov.pk or call 1799.

FIA → NCCIA

Looking for FIA Cyber Crime? The FIA Cyber Crime Wing was dissolved in April 2025 and NCCIA now handles every cyber crime complaint. Use the NCCIA channels below. If you filed with FIA before that, keep the reference and mention it in your NCCIA complaint.

Online complaint

complaint.nccia.gov.pk

The fastest route. You can upload screenshots and keep track of your complaint.

Open

Helpline

1799

NCCIA's cyber crime helpline, opened by the Interior Ministry in June 2025. Ask how to register your complaint and note who you spoke to.

Call

Helpdesk landline

051-9106691

NCCIA's helpdesk number from its official announcement. Office hours may apply, so try 1799 first.

Call

In person

Nearest NCCIA Circle Office

FIA no longer handles cyber crime. Take your CNIC and printed evidence, and ask for a written complaint number.

Filing online, step by step

  1. Open complaint.nccia.gov.pk on a phone or computer. Type the address yourself rather than following a link from a message.
  2. Follow the on-screen steps to register with your CNIC and mobile number. Entering a code here is fine, because you started this yourself on the official site. Just never send a code to a person.
  3. Choose the category closest to what happened, such as hacking of an account or online financial fraud.
  4. Describe what happened in date order: when you shared the code, when you lost access, who was asked for money and how much was sent.
  5. Upload your screenshots and transaction receipts, then submit.
  6. Save or screenshot the complaint number. You'll need it for follow-ups, the bank and WhatsApp.

Keep these ready

  • Your CNIC (front and back)
  • The hacked WhatsApp number
  • Screenshots of the scam messages your contacts received
  • The account or wallet number the scammer asked money to be sent to
  • Transaction IDs, dates and amounts of any money sent
  • The number the scam messages came from, if they came from a new number
  • Anything WhatsApp Support sent back to you

07Step 7 of 10 · Report it · right awayUrgent

If someone already sent money

The first few hours give the best chance of stopping a transfer. The person who sent the money is the one who must contact their bank.

Do this now: Call your bank or wallet helpline now and report the transfer as fraud.

  1. Call the bank or wallet helpline at once. Use the number printed on the card or shown inside the official app, never one that someone sent you in a message.
  2. Report the transfer as fraud and ask them to hold the receiving account.
  3. Ask for a complaint reference number and write it down.
  4. Add that reference and the transaction ID to the NCCIA complaint.
  5. Never pay anyone who promises to get the money back for a fee.

Message to the bank or wallet

08Step 8 of 10 · Report it · 1 to 2 days

If WhatsApp banned your number

This is a different problem from a hack. Nobody stole your account. WhatsApp itself has blocked the number. There's one official way to appeal, it's free, and it happens inside the app.

Do this now: Request a review in the app first; appeal by email only if that fails.

"Temporarily banned"

Usually means an unofficial app like GB WhatsApp, or collecting other people's details in bulk. Switch to the official app and stop. If you carry on, the ban can become permanent.

"You need the official WhatsApp to log in"

An unofficial app was used on this number. Delete it, install WhatsApp from Google Play or the App Store, and register your number again.

You see "Request review"

The ban can be appealed. Tap the button. WhatsApp says most reviews are done within 24 hours.

No "Request review" button

WhatsApp treats the ban as final and it can't be appealed. Nobody, paid or free, can change that.

How to appeal, step by step

  1. Delete any unofficial WhatsApp from the phone and install the official app from Google Play or the App Store.
  2. Open WhatsApp and enter your number. If it's banned you'll see "This phone number can't use WhatsApp".
  3. Tap Request review. One appeal covers one number, so do it once.
  4. Wait for the WhatsApp notification with the decision. You can also open the app to check the status.
  5. If it says "This account can now use WhatsApp", verify your number again. Old chats come back only if you had a backup.

Don't fall for these

  • "Unban" apps, GB WhatsApp or "pro" versions. They break WhatsApp's rules, can steal your data, and lead to more bans.
  • Anyone on Telegram, Facebook or YouTube who asks for money to unban you. WhatsApp says only WhatsApp can ban or unban an account.
  • Writing again and again, or through a friend's account. WhatsApp says it won't speed up the review or change the decision.
  • Videos promising a "100% working" unban. No one can promise how a review ends.

While a number is banned you can't open its chats or backups. A backup only works again after the number is unbanned.

If you also want to write to WhatsApp

Keep it short and honest. If you did use GB WhatsApp or sent bulk messages, say so. WhatsApp's terms forbid groundless appeals.

09Step 9 of 10 · After · 10 min

Once you're back in

Take five minutes to close the doors the attacker used, so it doesn't happen again.

Do this now: Turn on two-step verification and check your linked devices.

How this scam usually works

1

You get a message from a "friend" or "WhatsApp Support" asking for a 6-digit code sent to you by mistake.

2

That code was yours. Once shared, the scammer registers your number on their phone.

3

They set their own two-step PIN to lock you out.

4

Then they message your family and friends, as you, asking for urgent money.

10Step 10 of 10 · After

Common questions

Do this now: Quick answers to the questions people ask most.

Yes, if you had a Google Drive or iCloud backup. WhatsApp offers to restore it when you register your number again. Without a backup, chats stored only on the hacker's phone can't be recovered.

Sources

Every contact detail here was checked on 5 October 2026

We checked every link, phone number and instruction on this page against the official sources below on 5 October 2026. Things change, so if something doesn't work, go to those official pages.

Share this page before anyone needs it

Most victims never imagined it could happen to them. Send this page to your family group today, so everyone knows what to do in the first hour.

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Call 1799

All message templates

Official complaints are in English, because WhatsApp, NCCIA, PTA and the banks handle them in English. The family messages also come in Urdu and Roman Urdu. Pick who you need to contact, copy the message, fill in the parts in [brackets] and send it.

Official complaints are in English, because WhatsApp, NCCIA, PTA and the banks handle them in English. The family messages also come in Urdu and Roman Urdu. Pick who you need to contact, copy the message, fill in the parts in [brackets] and send it.

Send the warning first, from any other phone, Facebook or a family group.

Warning in English

Warning in Roman Urdu

Warning in Urdu

All clear in English

All clear in Roman Urdu

All clear in Urdu