u/BryanRuiz-Maplewood

▲ 2 r/InstagramSupport+1 crossposts

Hacked IG: Phone number is STILL attached, but Video Selfie keeps failing/erroring out. How do I bypass this loop?

Hey everyone, looking for some technical workarounds because I am completely stuck in a loop.

My primary Instagram account was hacked a week ago. The hacker managed to change my primary email to a temporary fake domain (qspcejwfaoeq@vnvmail.com).

Here is the weird part: The hacker DID NOT change my phone number. It is still fully attached to the account.

Because my number is still there, I can successfully trigger a password reset link or an SMS OTP code to my phone. However, the second I enter the SMS code, it hits a brick wall.

To get past the 2FA, I’ve tried the automated recovery tools:

  1. Trusted Friends Verification: My first contact approved it, but the app glitched and never sent the notification to my second contact, stalling the process.
  2. Video Selfie: Every time I try to submit the biometric face video to verify my identity, it completely errors out, fails to upload, or says "unable to confirm identity" within minutes.

I am even trying the Meta Verified live chat route via a secondary account, but I keep getting templated responses.

Has anyone successfully gotten back in using their still-attached phone number when the hacker has 2FA locked down and the video selfie is broken? Is there a specific link, an older APK version of the app, or a device trick (like switching from iOS to Android) that forces the system to prioritize the phone number link?

Any advice or successful workarounds would be deeply appreciated. 15+ years of memories are on this account. Thank you!

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u/BryanRuiz-Maplewood — 1 day ago