What to Do if You Think You’ve Been Hacked

Discovering that your identity, accounts, devices or personal information may have been compromised can feel overwhelming. Beyond emotional stress, a cyberattack can also cause significant financial harm. Americans lost nearly $21 billion to cyber-enabled crimes in 2025, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Report.¹

If you think you’ve been hacked, acting quickly and thoroughly can help limit the damage. 

What should you do if your social security number is stolen?

If your Social Security Number (SSN) is stolen, act as soon as you discover the theft. One warning sign may be an IRS notice that someone else has already filed a tax return using your SSN.

Here are four steps to take if your SSN has been compromised:

1. Report the SSN theft using identitytheft.gov and file a local police report.
2. Freeze your credit at all major bureaus—Equifax, Experian and TransUnion—to prevent fraudsters from establishing new lines of credit with your identity.
3. Keep a record and report all activity to the fraud department of your bank and alert your Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor.
4. After reporting, continue monitoring your existing credit lines. Ask your Financial Advisor about Morgan Stanley’s complimentary Identity and Credit Protection from Experian^® available with a Morgan Stanley CashPlus Brokerage Account.

What steps should you take if your email is hacked?

Cybercriminals may gain access to your email if they obtain your password. If your email is hacked, secure the account and check for unauthorized changes. One warning sign is hearing from contacts that your account is sending emails with suspicious links or money requests.

Here are four steps to take if your email was hacked:

1. Change the password immediately using a password manager to create a unique, complex password. If your device is compromised, make the change from a trusted device. Then, update passwords for important accounts linked to the email, as well as any accounts where you reuse the same password.
2. Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA)—for example, security keys, push notifications, fingerprints or facial recognition—as another layer of protection.
3. Check your account setting and remove any unfamiliar devices, forwarding rules, recovery contacts, connected apps or filters, as these could provide a hacker with continued access to your account and enable them to redirect emails.
4. Alert your contacts, including your Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor, about the attack.

What should you do if your computer is infected with malware?

Malware can compromise your computer if you click a phishing link or download content from an untrustworthy site. Warning signs may include unexpected pop-up ads or unusually slow performance from your devices.

Take the following steps to remove the malware and help secure your device:

1. Use a reputable antivirus product to clean up the malware infection.
2. If the problem persists after using antivirus software, contact an IT professional, especially if ransomware has locked your device or encrypted your files and a ransom demand has been made to restore them.
3. From a malware-free device, change the passwords on any accounts you used while your computer was infected.
4. Turn on automatic updates for your devices so your operating software is up to date.
5. Report the malware incident to your Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor.

How do you handle an unauthorized debit or credit card charge? 

If there’s a debit or credit card charge you don’t recognize, it may mean someone has stolen your information. A purchase from a business or location you have not visited may indicate fraud.

Take these steps to address unauthorized charges:

1. Contact your credit card provider immediately using the number on the back of the card and alert them of the theft. The good news is, in many cases your provider detects fraud before you do, rejects the charges and sends you a new card.
2. Update any automatic payments connected with your old credit card.
3. Turn on account alerts including new logins, password changes and transactions.
4. Consider freezing your credit.
5. Alert your Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor.

How do you know if your phone number has been hijacked?

If your phone suddenly and unexpectantly loses service and you can’t call, text or receive messages, your number may be compromised. In a phone porting scam, a hacker transfers your number to another device and can intercept one-time passcodes used to access your accounts.

You can take these steps to regain control of your number:

1. Contact your mobile carrier and financial institutions immediately.
2. Ask your phone carrier to add safeguards for number-porting requests, such as an account passcode required before changes can be made.
3. If you were getting one-time passcodes sent via text message to your phone number, consider using a stronger form of authentication like an authenticator app or security key.

How does morgan stanley support you after a cyberattack?

A cyberattack can leave you feeling overwhelmed, vulnerable and unsure of what to do next. Contact your Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor immediately to report online security concerns. We can help secure your financial accounts, connect you with additional resources and discuss proactive safeguards with you, including adding a trusted contact to your accounts.