Full disclosure, I don’t really like the title of this post, but it says exactly what this post is about. If you haven’t read my previous post with the exact same photo, you should. It will explain why this post exists.
When I got kicked off Facebook, I panicked. I received a text and multiple emails that I had been hacked. I assumed the worst. I assumed I had been hacked. You know…because Facebook said I was.
I was on my way to a hair appointment an hour away. I attempted to figure out what was going on in the parking lot prior to my appointment. It only created more panic, but any woman who religiously pre-schedules her hair appointments months in advance knows come hell, high-water or hacking, that appointment stands. So it was several hours later when I was finally able to start digging into what actually happened.
The first thing I did was run diagnostics on my computer using multiple programs to make sure a hacker was not hanging out watching me change passwords. Over the next several days, I spent hours changing every single password for every single account. I have pages, so this was no small feat. I checked all of my accounts to see if there was any strange activity. Basically, I did all the stuff you’re supposed to do if you’re hacked. And guess what I found? A BIG FAT nothing. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m happy I wasn’t hacked, but hours upon hours wasted for apparently no reason.
I started scouring the internet looking for anyone else who had encountered this same issue and found myself in a Reddit rabbit-hole. There was story after story that sounded just like mine. There were also many suggestions on what I could do to get back in. And I tried EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. And if you read the title of this post, you already know the ending.
First and foremost, if you aren’t aware, there is absolutely no way to contact META. No phone, no email, no online site, META is a ghost once you’re kicked off. But my Reddit “friends” led me down a path of hope. Hope that I’d get back onto Facebook and resume my life as usual.
My Reddit friends said if I was still on Instagram, I could buy a monthly subscription which allows me to contact Customer Service and I could back-door myself into Facebook. I was kicked off Instagram too, but…I realized I had “META Verified” myself for one of my business accounts. After providing my license, a selfie for the ages and an automated phone call, I was back in. Once I had my business account, I was able to get the rest of my accounts back up and running…only on Instagram. I paid that $14.99 for the subscription and thought to myself, “Girl, this is it. Facebook, here I come”.
But not so fast home-girl, because the instructions said the only way to contact customer service is from a cell phone, but then the other instructions said the only way to contact them was from a computer. They also gave step-by-step instructions, except they were no longer valid for the updated versions of Instagram. I eventually found my “in” and was able to click the button for help, except it just turned for days and days. It was like dial up in 1997, except dial up was faster.
After consulting my new Reddit friends, it became clear that since everyone was doing this back-door Facebook hack, META decided to never let anyone use the Customer Service option and basically shut it down. So, after paying for an Instagram subscription for 3 months, all I got was a $45 bill. So friends, DON’T try this at home, because it is a big fat FAIL and a waste of time and money. When I cancelled my subscription, I cancelled my Instagram as well. NO-THANK-YOU!
But friends, I’m no quitter, so I followed my very close Reddit friend’s advice down the next rabbit-hole. They said they had luck by sending an email to the California Attorney General’s Office. I mean, one would think this is ridiculous, but if my friend’s, whom I’ve never met, says I should send a letter, then by-gosh, I’m going to send the letter.
And four months later, I receive a response back from the California Attorney General’s office letting me know that they cannot provide any assistance in this matter, but they’ll be happy to add it to their “Mark Zuckerberg screwed me over” file (not a real file) and that they are aware of social media posts stating the Attorney General’s office can assist, but really, that isn’t true at all. Joke’s on him, it was Reddit, not social media, so there.
All on my own and being the savvy sort, I came up with a brilliant idea. I would find the names of the top dogs of META and create every version of an email for each person and at least one of them has to work. Except it didn’t. Over the next ten days, every single email bounced back. I learned a little thing after that. META has firewalls that have firewalls and then they add firewalls to make sure the 10 other firewalls cannot be penetrated. My email was rejected like an unwanted Christmas gift, over and over again, for ten straight days.
But wait, there’s so much more. I accepted the free version of LinkedIn and found the META CEO on LinkedIn. Well guess what folks, I sent a message to the CEO hoping to plead my case. But LinkedIn is so efficient, it was lovely when they told me that unless the META CEO responds to my original message, I was not allowed to message her again. So, lose-lose for this idea.
Look, I knew at some point that I was never getting my Facebook accounts back, so I did a quick pivot and decided I was going to continue just to see who would and would not help.
My Reddit friends had another good idea, send a letter to my Attorney General’s Office and my Congressman. And by George, I sent those letters as if my life depended on it.
I didn’t hear back from the Virginia Attorney General, so I just assumed he didn’t get the first letter, so I sent a second one for good measure and it must have worked, because about three months later, I finally got an email asking me for more information. They also asked me to set up an email account that has never been associated with META. A weird ask, but I obviously listen to anyone, so I did exactly that.
But nothing ever comes easy…Google thought I was hacked when I set up this email, so they temporarily suspended the email until I could prove I was a person. I don’t blame them, someone should be checking on me. I had to explain about the letter and the request. Even I didn’t believe me, but they let me keep it. Funny thing is, there hasn’t even been a spam email since I set it up, so I’m starting to think I didn’t even receive the first email. Either way, my State Attorney General has until November 30th and then I’m totally, forever banned with no hopes of ever getting my accounts back. (From my understanding, META deletes you from their files at 6 months with no way to get anything back).
Now on to Congressman Vindman. I sent a partial letter via his website because the site only allows so many words, but I was tired, it was late and I got my point across. I requested that they pass my letter onto the META Liaison. I got a voicemail a couple days later basically saying that their main casework involves government agencies like the Social Security Administration and the IRS and they have no way of intervening. They went on to say they had flagged it for their technology and legislative assistant and comms team. But unfortunately, right now, there is no immediate action they can take.
So, I did what any sane person does, I sent the full letter, with a coversheet, pointing out that I was paying for a subscription service and was not getting the services I was paying for as a business owner and I requested again that they send my letter to the META Liaison. I received a second call that they had forwarded my letter; however, that is basically the end of the road for them. This too was an EPIC fail. And my friends, guess who isn’t getting my vote this election season?
My Reddit friends tried their best to lead me down the path to victory, but I hit roadblock after roadblock. There is a high probability that I am NEVER getting back on Facebook and the only reason I say there is even still a chance is because November 30th is when I literally disappear for good from the Facebook world, but I’ve accepted my fate and that’s why we’re here.
I’ve come to believe that META’s reliance on AI to monitor and enforce its policies is a big part of the problem. I had never been banned, warned or experienced any other version of Facebook jail. When I looked through my account information after receiving my files, there was no known reason for banning me. Based on everything I’ve researched and experienced, I believe automated systems can suspend accounts, remove a person’s ability to appeal and essentially shut people out, sometimes without a clear explanation.
So, if you’re still on Facebook or Instagram, I would consider getting META Verified if you can. There are still no guarantees you won’t encounter the same issues I did, but it’s worth a try. And if you have more than one account, I would try to do it with every account if possible. Another tip is to set up multiple email accounts in case you get locked out of the primary account, again, still no guarantees, but it costs nothing to try.
I’ve also come across claims that boosting your posts may trigger a flag, which makes sense because I had boosted a business post a few days before I was banned, but that’s just hearsay because I have no way to prove it. I’d just say that if you want to remain on META, you should try to do whatever you can to verify you are who you are.
I recommend saving every photo and post offline, in a folder, so if you do lose your accounts, you’ll still have it.
If you have a business, you need to know who your clients/followers are and another way to reach out to them if you lose your business accounts.
Honestly, it’s just a mess and it’s taken me five months to get back into the groove of things without social media and I’m still trying to figure it out. But here we are, learning lessons and sharing them with friends.
Be sure to stop back in often. I’m just as excited as you are to see what I write next.
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