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You gave away the 6-digit code

With that code the other person has already registered your WhatsApp on their phone. It is single-use, so the damage is done: now you have to get them out and warn your people before they start asking for money in your name.

Your people matter more than your account right now. The fraud almost always starts by borrowing money from three or four contacts you trust. Warning them takes one tap.

  1. Warn them before fixing anything

    The fraud almost always starts by asking three or four people you trust for money. Copy this warning and send it by SMS, another app or a call: let them know before anyone pays.

    URGENT: My WhatsApp account was stolen and someone is asking for money in my name. IT IS NOT ME. Do not transfer money, do not open links that come from my account, and do not reply to those messages.

  2. Get the account back

    • Reinstall WhatsApp and register your number. That registration expels the intruder: once you are in with the code, WhatsApp closes every other session.
    • If the number is still taken or the account shows as deactivated, open official support from the block below.
    • Once you are in, turn on two-step verification and add a recovery email: without that email, forgetting your password means waiting seven days.
    • Check Linked devices and log out of anything you do not recognise.
    • If a contact did transfer money, tell them to file the report with their bank today and to keep the screenshots.
    See where Linked devices is

    Android

    1. 1 In the chat list, tap the three dots at the top, then Linked devices.
    2. 2 Look at the list and tap every session you do not recognise.
    3. 3 Tap Log out. Repeat for each one until only yours are left.

    iPhone

    1. 1 Tap Settings, bottom right in the tab bar.
    2. 2 Tap Linked devices.
    3. 3 Look at the list and tap every session you do not recognise.
    4. 4 Tap Log out. Repeat for each one until only yours are left.

    Illustration. Depending on your WhatsApp version the screen may look slightly different, but the option names are the same.

    See how to turn on two-step verification

    Android

    1. 1 In the chat list, tap the three dots at the top, then Settings.
    2. 2 Tap Account.
    3. 3 Tap Two-step verification.
    4. 4 Tap Turn on, create a 6-digit PIN you do not use anywhere else and add your email when asked.

    iPhone

    1. 1 Tap Settings, bottom right in the tab bar.
    2. 2 Tap Account.
    3. 3 Tap Two-step verification.
    4. 4 Tap Turn on, create a 6-digit PIN you do not use anywhere else and add your email when asked.

    Illustration. Depending on your WhatsApp version the screen may look slightly different, but the option names are the same.

    Without an active SIM with your same number there is no recovery. WhatsApp says it plainly: it cannot hand an account back to someone who cannot receive the code. Get the SIM first; the rest unlocks from there.

    If the other person turned on two-step verification, your registration will be blocked. WhatsApp will make you wait seven days before it lets you reset it, and there is no way to speed that up. It is their security protocol: try again on day seven, not before.

    Download official WhatsApp

  3. If you cannot get it back

    Reporting the account you are trying to recover can backfire. WhatsApp warns about it in its own help centre: if you report it, they may block it for breaking their terms and you can lose access to your chats. Try to recover it first, and use these channels only if you can no longer get in.

    The fastest route

    • Open WhatsApp on your phone and go to Settings → Help and feedback → Contact us. That chat does reach support and stays linked to your number.
    • If you cannot open the app because the account is no longer yours, use the form on the button: it is the other channel WhatsApp recognises as official.
    Open the official WhatsApp form

    The form opens in your browser and asks for your number, an email address and what happened. Write from an email account you can open today.

    The email to "support@whatsapp.com" does not work

    Nobody reads that mailbox. WhatsApp denied it in its own help centre: emails sent to any @whatsapp.com address get no reply. If you saw it on another blog, in a video, or an official body gave it to you, that information is out of date.

    Read WhatsApp official note
If you are also going to file a report

None of these channels returns your account: recovery is technical. They cover the crime, the impersonation and the money, and it is worth opening them today because the deadlines run from the same day.

  • Guardia Nacional · 088. Guidance and cybercrime reports, every day. Save your screenshots and receipts before you call, and do not share them around.
  • Mexico City cyber police · 55 5242 6489. If you are in Mexico City, they will guide you and explain how to file the report.
  • Your carrier, before PROFECO. If your SIM was cloned, the complaint goes to the Telecommunications Sub-Procuracy: Concilianet or the Consumer Phone line, 55 5568 8722 and 800 468 8722. Since January 2026 carriers are required to verify your identity with official ID and CURP before handing over a duplicate. If they did not, they broke the rule.
  • Your bank, today. If money moved, the deadline to dispute the charges runs from the same day. If the bank does not respond, CONDUSEF takes the complaint.

In Mexico no channel can force Meta to give your account back. The only thing that recovers it is your SIM with your number.

The other cases

I lost cell signal I woke up without WhatsApp I scanned a suspicious QR code I do not know what happened / I am being extorted