One of my clients recently forwarded an email they had received claiming their Facebook page was violating Community Standards. My client was suspicious but concerned because no one wants to have their Facebook page taken down for violations – especially if they’ve been using it to build leads or run ads. Since that initial message was received, my client has received several more, with slight variations of the subject line and sender email.
So let’s talk about a few key things to review to try to determine if the message is a scam.
Check the sender name and email address
If the sender address is some random address, its most likely a scam. All of the legitimate Facebook emails in my inbox are from something @fb.com.
Look for spelling and grammar mistakes
Spelling and grammar mistakes are common in scam messages. ‘Costumer’ instead of ‘Customer’ and the like.
Appeal link
Every one of these scam emails I’ve seen have included a link you can go to to appeal the violation. These links have usually been to some random post on Facebook, with a link to another page off of Facebook where they would ask for your Facebook login information.
Checking your Facebook Page Quality
Facebook gives you a way to check the Page Quality to see if your has had any recent Community Standards violations.
https://www.facebook.com/help/1985220725104252
Additionally, they have additional information about what to do if you receive a suspicious email that looks like it might have come from Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/help/225602007465207
My favorite part of these suggestions is to forward the emails to [email protected] so they can investigate (and hopefully take down the scammy pages on their own site.)
Use Two-Factor Authentication on your Facebook account
I get it – two-factor authentication can be a pain in the butt, and using complex password can make it hard to remember your password. But, especially if you’re using your Facebook account for business, it’s important to make sure it’s as protected as possible to reduce the chance that someone can gain unauthorized access to the account.
To set up 2FA on your Facebook account, follow these instructions: https://www.facebook.com/help/148233965247823
If you also have an Instagram account, do this: https://help.instagram.com/566810106808145