“Your account has been disabled—We’ve already reviewed this decision and it can’t be reversed”
As of March, 2023, hundreds of Facebook users have found themselves unable to access their account and are receiving little to no help from Facebook.
This unique attack has opened a can of worms for anyone trying to figure out exactly what’s happening, how these accounts are hacked into, and what the motive of the hackers even is.
What’s happening to victims?
Individuals on Facebook are attempting to log into their accounts or open their apps to discover that they no longer have access.
Users report being signed out of their accounts, then see this message the next time they try to sign in.
Not only is this message extremely confusing, it’s also extremely frustrating.
A handful of victims don’t even get a chance to see this screen and can’t download their old information.
In fact, it seems that each victim’s situation is different from the last.
Some individuals have reported being able to log in with restricted access, while others can’t even reset their passwords because their connected email was changed.
Interestingly enough, the Facebook community has come together to report on their experiences with this attack since Facebook themselves has failed to release a statement.
A group named “Jerry Avenaim hacked account” was formed as a temporary resolution to relay potential solutions or to communicate issues as a community of victims and has gained over 500 members within a few weeks.
In this group, it was revealed that this attack has been happening since 2019 but only exploded recently in late 2022. Most of the individuals who joined have either experienced the suspension of their primary accounts or know of someone that was affected.
Who is Jerry Avenaim?
If you aren’t familiar with this attack, you’re probably wondering, “Who is Jerry Avenaim?”
It’s the unfortunate individual whose name is replacing the owner of the previous account, and sometimes their profile picture as well. Why his name and picture were chosen by the hackers is unknown, but he has zero involvement with the account takeovers.
How was my Facebook account hacked?
While there are a few different ways that criminals can gain access to a Facebook account, one proven method has been discovered.
Criminals are taking over old email addresses that are connected to Facebook accounts and resetting the password through that email. How these old emails are hacked isn’t clear, but it can be due to hackers exploiting weak/outdated passwords or previously stolen credentials.
Once they have access to the email, they reset the password for the respective Facebook account which sends a verification code to the email that criminals can use to log in.
After the password is reset and they are able to log in, they change the original email to one that they’ll use to complete their other malicious activities.
What’s the motive?
Based off the account of one anonymous individual, the criminal’s highest priority is to steal funds or make purchase using payment information connected to a user’s Facebook account.
As mentioned above, one user reported a $250 dollar charge from a credit card linked to Facebook. This was shortly after the victim discovered that their account was suspended.
Unfortunately, this victim is unable to remove the payment information, but at least the victim’s bank considered the charge fraudulent and prevented the transaction from going through.
Another goal of these criminals is to harvest any and all information that was found about user and their hacked account. Related emails, names, birthdays, phone numbers, and even locations were likely collected and stored in a datasheet to be connected to the hacked individual. This information can then be sold or traded to other criminals.
How do I get my Facebook account unsuspended?
Do not pay or trust anyone on Facebook to help recover your account for you. If someone says they can recover your account, they are scammers and are looking to steal your money or your information.
Sadly, only a handful of individuals have reported success in recovering their account because of how incompetent Facebook is being with this attack.
The way Facebook wants you to dispute this problem is shown to be highly ineffective and highly invasive, as they want you to upload a picture of your personal ID.
Even if you do upload you ID, it often says “There was an error”, and doesn’t let you proceed.
According to various members in the Facebook group of victims, there are a few weird things that have worked for certain individuals, but none stand out as a definitive solution.
As “cheesy” as it may sound, the best thing that people can do as of now is spread awareness of this attack so that Facebook is forced to act accordingly. This method has worked in the past, and considering the lack of other available options, it’s worth trying now.
By writing a letter to your State’s Attorney General, you can help to bring attention to these hacked accounts and ultimately influence Facebook to come up with a solution for all the information or finances that are stolen because of this.
How to write a letter to your Attorney General
For starters, here’s a template you can use to send to your Attorney General, or you can come up with your own.
Dear [Attorney General’s Name],
I am writing to you today to bring your attention to a serious issue affecting people on Facebook. There is an attack that has been circulating on the platform which involves the suspension, and possible elimination, of user accounts. Despite numerous complaints from users, Facebook seems to be doing nothing to address this problem.
Many people have fallen victim to this scam and have been left feeling frustrated and helpless. Their accounts have been suspended for no apparent reason, and they are unable to access their personal information or connect with their friends and family on the platform. Not to mention the memories saved in photos and videos that these users no longer have access to. This has caused a great deal of stress and anxiety for those affected, and the lack of action from Facebook is only making the situation worse.
I believe that it is the responsibility of Facebook to protect its users from these types of attacks and to provide them with the necessary support and resources to address these issues. However, it seems that Facebook is not taking this matter seriously, and many people are left feeling hopeless.
As the Attorney General, I urge you to take action on this matter and to hold Facebook accountable for its lack of action. The safety and security of users on social media platforms should be a top priority, and it is unacceptable for companies like Facebook to ignore the privacy of their users.
Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I hope that you will take the necessary steps to ensure that Facebook takes action to address this scam.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
To find your attorney general’s mailing address, here’s a website that list all of the current AGs with their respective state and address.
What should I do to protect myself?
Since victims can’t take an offensive approach in this situation, actively monitoring financial transactions is very critical. If you had any forms of payment linked to your Facebook account, make sure you are looking for abnormal transactions on those accounts.
On top of that, make sure to reset and strengthen your passwords for all sensitive accounts, especially other social media platforms like Instagram, WhatsApp, or Twitter.
Want to learn more?
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