By Update: 8/11/2023: There’s another new version of this scam going around frequently the Pages are using the name “Meta Business Suite” and the Meta logo. These are still scams. DO NOT CLICK THE LINK OR GIVE THEM ANY INFORMATION. Report the message, move it to Spam, and be on your way. Here is the message we are seeing: “Your page Has Been Reported
We are constantly updating our Meta Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. We have temporarily suspended your page because someone told us that you violated our terms and conditions of service.
– Using someone else’s fake name/photo.
– Share content that misleads other users.
– Insulting other users.
If you believe this is an error in our system, please verify your account at the link below.
Account Confirmation:>>>”
This message is followed by URL shortener link: https://t.ly/fb.go/help (DO NOT GO TO THIS LINK!)
And then the message: “Confirm your account within the next 24 hours otherwise our your Page may be permanently disabled.
Security Team.”
Here is what the new scam going around might look like:
Update 7/8/2020: There’s a new version of this scam going around where the scammer links to a “Story” on a new and fake Facebook page called “Support Inbox”. The story looks like a plain text document like a Word doc and claims you’ve violated someone’s music copyrights (the version we’re seeing claims Universal Music) and requests you to click a link to file an appeal. The link uses anchor text to appear to be a Facebook help document but in reality links to the domain “gj.al” which operates as a URL shortener that then points to the domain “facebook.com-services.chat” where the same form shown below can be seen. This version of the scam is more elaborate and may cause alarm. Remember you can access your support inbox on desktop at any time by clicking the question mark icon in the top right-hand corner and scrolling down to “new support messages” or “support inbox”. Also of note Facebook will never contact you via your Page’s messages but will contact your profile in most cases or use other means of contact.
Update 3/2/2020: We’ve also received messages with links to the domain “facebook.co-protection.help” with this exact same message and modus operandi. DO NOT click these links!
We just got a message on a page that uses our Facebook Management services (the page for Texas is Life) from someone claiming to be Facebook Support and stating that we’ve violated their content policy. The message works to sound and appear official stating that the policy was just updated to “inсludе rеstriсtiоns аrоund driving trаffiс tо third-раrty аррs аnd sitеs”
The message goes on to say that the post in question will stay on the page, but has been flagged by Facebook’s system and that if you think they have made a mistake, you should file an appeal.
At the end of the message this scammer includes a link which goes to the domain “Facebook.Co-Publisher.Support”. If you click this link, which you most certainly should not do, you’ll be taken to a page that looks like Facebook and even links to official Facebook documentation. The page starts off with a notice box that says “Your page is under review. If you think your page shouldn’t be removed, please fill out this form. We’ll review your appeal and take the appropriate action based on our Community Standards.”
A dead give away that this is the domain name: Co-Publisher.Support.
Another giveaway is that the copyright date in the footer says 2018 not 2019.
The scam message ends with a dire warning, if you don’t click the link your page is going to be suspended by Facebook.
If you fill out the form you’ll be taken to a second page that is built to look like Facebook’s login. This is just a form that will steal your login information and then use that to steal your page.
If you get this message simply trash or report it. If Facebook is trying to contact you about a violation they’ll send a message to your “Support Inbox” not your page’s inbox. There’s also a good chance that if they ding your page for a content violation you’ll be logged out of your page and then logged back in.
If you have multiple managers on your page, you need to send this alert to them to make sure everyone is aware not to click this link. If you’re managing pages for your clients I would send them a blanket request to never click a link in there Facebook inbox no matter who sends it just to be sure.
Here’s the full text of the message they sent:
Message 1:
“Рlеаsе rеviеw yоur раgе аnd yоur роsts fоr rеаsоns thаt yоu hаvе viоlаtеd оur tеrms.
httрs://www.fаcеbооk.cоm/соmmunitystаndаrds
Sinсеrеly,
Fасеbооk Suрроrt Tеаm”
Message 2:
“Yоur раgе рublishеd а роst thаt dоеsn’t соmрly with оur раgе роliсy. Our роliсy wаs rесеntly uрdаtеd tо inсludе rеstriсtiоns аrоund driving trаffiс tо third-раrty аррs аnd sitеs :
“Yоu must nоt ассерt аnything оf vаluе tо drivе trаffiс tо аn арр оr sitе thаt еngаgеs in trаffiс аrbitrаgе, оr оnе thаt соntаins а disрrороrtiоnаtе vоlumе оf аds rеlаtivе tо соntеnt, оr соntеnt thаt is highly sеxuаl, shосking, сliсkbаit, оr рrоmоtеs sсаms,”
Pоsts thаt аrе flаggеd fоr this bеhаviоr will rеmаin оn yоur раgе, but distributiоn thrоugh Nеws Fееd will bе limitеd. If yоu think thаt this wаs а mistаkе , yоu саn submit аn арреаl.
https://facebook.co-publisher.support/case/id=1320054689
Nоtе : If within 48 hоurs, yоu hаvе nоt vеrifiеd yоur раgе оn оur link, thеn yоu hаvе ignоrеd оur nоtifiсаtiоns аnd yоur раgе will bе susреndеd.
Sinсеrеly,
Fасеbооk Suрроrt Tеаm”
Here’s a composite screenshot of the full message interaction:
There’s a better than good chance Facebook will eventually catch this scammer and shut down the domain they are using above, but the scammers are probably using dozens of domains and will just keep using new ones that look semi official.
Stay vigilant and be careful, if you lose your Facebook page to a scammer there is little chance you’ll ever get it back.
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