Recently we’ve seen a resurgence in messages coming through on Facebook and Instagram pages and via emails to clients threatening to suspend or permanently delete a Facebook account. They typically claim the client is in violation of Facebook Community Standards guidelines or has violated a trademark.

If you get something like this DO NOT click on any of the links. It’s often easy to spot a fake message because of the aggressive tone, terrible grammar or crap graphics, but not always. The first thing to know is that “if” you really were in violation of Facebook Community Standards you (or your marketing agency) would have received a notification directly through your Meta Business account. You would also most likely be given the opportunity to fix whatever was at issue. Remember, Meta profits are tied to your ad spend so even if there is something off with a campaign chances are Meta will give you time to fix it rather than lose your advertising dollars.

Nonetheless, aggressive emails about you “doing bad things” that are going to result in a suspension of some kind push all kinds of buttons for professional service providers. So, a quick way to confirm there’s nothing to worry about is to check on the health of your page.

Review your Facebook Page Status

A quick way to see if your account has violated any community standards, Terms of Service or has any page restrictions is to visit your Page Status. There, you can find  if  there are any issues with your page. 

How to access your page status

1. Log into your Facebook page
2. Go to “Settings & Privacy” and Click on the “Page Setup” tab in the lefthand side bar
3. Look for “Page Status” in the list that will appear in the main window.
4. Click “View”.

If there’s anything amiss this is where it will show.

The graphic below highlights what to look for once you are logged into your firm’s Facebook account.

You can also find important messages about your account  by visiting  your support inbox at https://www.facebook.com/support.

Check the URL and Facebook Profile on the message

Suspicious URLs: Most scammers will ask you to verify or confirm your Facebook account by sharing a link. Be wary of addresses that look slightly off, such as “facebook-security.com” or similar variations.  Do NOT click on any links.

Legitimate  URLs: Always check the website address independently before entering any information. Official Facebook URLs will start with “https://www.facebook.com/“.

Here’s an example of a “Disabled Notice Alert” scam:

Look for Grammar Errors 

Suspicious Messages: Scammers often make typos or grammar errors in their messages, which can be a red flag. With the increase in AI as a writing tool this will likely be increasingly difficult to spot.

Legitimate Communication: Official messages from Facebook are usually free of spelling and grammar mistakes.

Check for Meta (Facebook) Announcements

Legitimate Announcements:  Facebook typically won’t use threatening language or create a sense of urgency. Beware of urgent or threatening alerts. The Meta team  will NOT send you a personal message using a personal profile.

Urgent Alerts and Fake Profiles: Scammers often use fake profiles to send phishing messages. Messages that claim your account will be locked, banned or deleted unless you act immediately are likely scams. Facebook will typically give you time to “fix things”.

Here is an example of a “24 hours critical alert” coming from a fake  profile:

Familiarize Yourself with Meta (Facebook) Terms & Policies:

Situations where your account or ad campaign could be suspended usually arise  if you violate any policies. The best way to avoid this is to get familiar with Meta’s policies. Visit terms and policies here.

For Meta Ads: If you unintentionally violate a Meta policy, Facebook will notify you via email. These notifications are typically sent to the  admin or advertising account. For example, if you are running Meta Ads and your Ad was rejected, Facebook will send you an alert with the reasons why the Ad was rejected and the steps you can take to fix it.

Tip: Meta is not perfect and it’s not uncommon to have an ad rejected for reasons that are not legitimate. Therefore, if you feel Meta has made a mistake you can appeal the decision.

Here is an example of how Facebook notifies ad rejections via email:

Recap

1. If you get a message that your account is under threat of suspension for any reason, step one is to independently check your page for violation notifications. This is a quick way to determine whether you need to take further action.
2. Always check the URL and Facebook profile for authenticity. Do NOT do this by clicking on any links in the message. 
3. Be cautious of urgent or threatening alerts or messages.
4. Verify page announcements through Facebook’s official channels.
5. Familiarize yourself with Facebook’s terms and policies.
6. Regularly review your Facebook Page’s status and Support Inbox for any violations.

As for next steps, these scams are plentiful and it’s like playing whack-a-mole trying to get the bogus accounts shut down. However, if it makes you feel better you can report them to Meta.

We hope these quick tips have been helpful. If you have any additional questions or you need help, you are welcome to get in with our team.