In 2022, someone close to me got hacked. A scammer changed the email and the password, signed them out of everything, and the account they'd spent years building belonged to a stranger, followers and brand deals included. I'd spent seventeen years in insurance by then, owning agencies, and my first thought was the one I'd had for other people a thousand times: surely something covers this. Nothing did, so I built it.
Why this hits creators hardest
- For many creators, the account is the business. Brands pay for the audience you built, so losing it can mean weeks without income.
- Platforms send you to forms and help pages, so there's usually nobody to call. You sit waiting for a reply while your followers keep following an account you no longer control.
- It's happening to a lot of people. 41 million U.S. adults have had a social account taken over, and complaints to the New York attorney general's office about Meta takeovers rose tenfold, from 73 in 2019 to 783 in 2023.
- And once an account is taken, 70% are never recovered.
If you or someone you know has been hacked, call me
Reach out any time. Call or text our hacked helpline at 470-218-9573. You don't have to be a Sociable member, and I'll do what I can to help.
Start your recovery today, free
Step-by-step recovery guides for 140 platforms: get-sociable.com/got-hacked
What Sociable does
- $5,000 paid on day 7 if your account isn't back.
- Another $20,000 on day 21.
- Protection starts Dec 1 for Instagram, and Jan 1 for Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
It took me more than forty conversations over three years to find a company willing to stand behind that, and Cysurance said yes this year.
For VizSense creators
Membership is $99 a year through Dec 31 (regular price $299, so $200 off), and your rate stays locked while you're a member. Join by Nov 30, and you get a free first-year membership to give to someone you care about. Details: get-sociable.com/vizsense
About the author
- James Moran founded Sociable.
- Seventeen years in insurance, owning agencies.
- Lives in Atlanta with his daughters, Jamie and Amelia.
- Blue belt in jiu-jitsu.