A hacked Facebook business page can mean lost followers, scam posts in your name and unauthorised ad spend on your card. Most Page hacks start with a hacked personal profile of an admin, often through a fake “Meta” email or a fake Business invitation. Here is what to do, in order.
First hour: limit the damage
- Check your ad account: in Ads Manager, pause any campaigns you did not create and remove unknown payment methods.
- Contact your bank: if unknown charges appear, block the card used for ads and dispute the charges.
- Warn your audience: ask a colleague who still has access, or post from another account, telling followers not to click links from your Page until it is recovered.
Recover the admin’s personal profile
- Go to facebook.com/hacked and follow the steps for a compromised account.
- If the password and email were changed, use the recovery options. Facebook may send a code to your old email, or ask for a video selfie or ID.
- Once back in, change your password, turn on two-factor authentication, and log out of all other sessions in Security and login settings.
- Remove any email addresses, phone numbers or apps the hacker added.
Recover the Page and Business Manager
- Open Business Settings, then People, and remove anyone you do not recognise.
- Check Partners and System users for unknown businesses or apps.
- Under Pages, confirm your business still owns the Page. If another Business Manager claimed it, report it through Meta Business Help Center.
- If you cannot get in at all, use the hacked-account form in Meta Business Help Center and provide proof of ownership, such as business registration and the email domain linked to the Page.
How to prevent another hack
- Turn on two-factor authentication for every admin, using an authenticator app rather than SMS where possible.
- Keep at least two trusted admins, so one lost profile does not lock you out.
- Give agencies and freelancers partner access through Business Manager, not personal logins. Here is how to give someone access to Meta Business Manager.
- Ignore emails and messages asking you to “verify” your Page or “avoid deletion”.
- Learn to spot fake Facebook Business invites, a common way pages are stolen.
If your ad account was restricted after the hack, follow my guide to fixing a restricted Meta ad account. Need hands-on help? Talk to a Facebook Ads specialist.
Free audit: Want me to look at your account with you? Apply for a free Meta Ads audit on Google Meet. I take only two a week.
New: ChatGPT now shows ads, and businesses in India, the UAE and Australia can run them. If you want to test them, talk to a ChatGPT ads expert.
