Facebook Page Violation Phishing Scams
Fake Meta Violation Warnings
tl;dr
Messages purporting to be from Meta claim that your Facebook Page is being locked or banned due to inappropriate content or other alleged violations. The messages urge you to click a link to complete a verification process to restore access. The messages are not from Meta. They are phishing scams designed to steal your Facebook login credentials and other personal information
Recently, I created a Facebook Page for Hoax-Slayer. Predictably, I received a typical “Page Violation” scam message within a few days of the launch.
Here’s how the scam works:
You receive a seemingly official message from Meta claiming that your Facebook Page has violated community standards and will be banned, locked or disabled unless you rectify the supposed issue.
The message urges you to click a link to complete a verification process or request a review to lift the supposed ban.
The link opens a scam website that asks you to enter your Facebook login details.
Once “logged in” on the fake site, you will be asked to provide a large amount of personal information, ostensibly to verify your account.
Criminals can now hijack your Facebook Page, lock you out, and use the Page to launch further scam and spam campaigns in your name. They can also potentially commit identity theft using the information they stole from you.
Many Variations
There are many variations of these scams, and online criminals have used the tactic for decades. Other social media platforms, such as Instagram, are regularly targeted via similar scam campaigns.
Your sensitive personal information and your social media accounts are valuable prizes for criminals. This old trick still works very well for online crooks, and they will continue to use it.
Always Login Via the Facebook App or Website
Be wary of any supposed “policy violation” or “account suspended” message or email that claims to be from Meta or Facebook. If you receive one, don’t click or tap any links that it contains.
Instead, log in to your Facebook account via the Facebook website or app. If the violation is a genuine warning, you will see a notification once logged in.
Screenshots of the scam message:
I have gotten plenty of these on my FB account. I have also been shut down BY Meta once! I'm not even sure why but it's pretty ironic that they will shut down pages of people trying to help educate against scammers but yet let scammers run wild!
Thanks, Brett!