During the last month, I’ve noticed an increasing trend of receiving client messages regarding hacked Meta accounts. This includes Facebook Pages and Instagram accounts mostly. Needless to say, these are always disheartening messages to receive. Here are some things you can do to help protect yourself from this giant time suck, and potentially increase your chances of recovering compromised accounts:
Stop clicking links in emails: It can be so very tempting, but don’t do it. If you receive a message in your inbox, go to the network itself to view the notifications there. If there isn’t a notification there, chances are it was a bunk email trying to get you to make bad decisions. Another easy way to tell (but not always 100% reliable) is to look at the sender’s email. Most times, a suspicious looking sender email address is all you need to see.
Turn on your two-factor authentication: It can be annoying, but it could save you immense pain and struggle. It’s there for a reason. Take the time to set up your two-factor options so that you add another layer of security to your accounts.
Use strong passwords: This one is pretty obvious, but go beyond your destination name and the year or the classic 12345. We see this all the time when we’re conducting our Social Media Audits! The more complex your password, the better.
Know who owns your Business Manager: Who created your Business Manager and what was the email that was used? Do you still have access to this account? You need to know this. In some cases, a past employee may have set it up. Knowing where notifications will go and who has the power to make changes can save you valuable time.
Make sure you have multiple admins assigned: It’s perhaps one of the easiest things you can do to give yourself some options when tragedy strikes. Our clients often only have a single admin assigned to their Business Manager. Guess what, if you get compromised, you’re pretty much SOL in most cases. If you add multiple admins you can have some options when it comes to navigating permissions.
If you’ve been compromised, you need to follow the process and be patient. A day can feel like a year in these instances, but you need to follow the process. Patience and persistence are going to be your biggest virtues. In some cases, I’ve seen it take several months to come to a resolution. If you haven’t heard anything in a week, submit another ticket. Sadly, things don’t always work out in your favor either, but I’ve seen with patience and persistence, things have a better chance of working out in your favor. If you’re having an issue, you need to start here:
Facebook Hacked Account Ticket: https://www.facebook.com/hacked
Instagram Hacked Account Ticket: https://www.instagram.com/hacked/
Some things that can help your case, would be to provide as many of the following documents along with your support ticket:
- Domain Name Assignment Agreement or Deed of Assignment of Intellectual Property
- Utility Bill
- Articles or Certificates of Incorporation, Formation, or Organization
- Business Licenses or Permits
- DBA documents
- Tax Certs. and Licenses
- Bank Statements, Summaries, Letters
- Credit Score Reports
- Trademark/registered/copyright document
You might as well gather these items now, so when the time comes, you’ve got it ready to go. That way you can keep momentum going on the case. Sometimes, that is all you need.
Be nice: This is probably the hardest one. You’re frustrated. You’ve submitted your information multiple times with no response. I hear you, it’s maddening. But, once you make progress and reach a real or AI representative, be nice. Your tone plays a role in how quickly you can progress through these processes. Just be nice.
Be smart. Be safe. Use good judgment! Lastly, share this information with your team so everyone knows the importance of not clicking those links! You’re only as strong as the weakest link in the chain.
