Small businesses face uphill battle against Meta as hacked social media accounts increase

As the digital age continues to evolve, small businesses have increasingly turned to social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram to reach their customers and grow their brands.

These platforms, owned by Meta, have become essential tools for marketing and customer engagement.

However, with the rise of online presence comes the heightened risk of cyber threats, and Australian businesses feel the brunt of this digital dilemma.



Catherine Wilson, a Melbourne gym owner and martial artist, is no stranger to combat.

Yet, her most formidable adversary has turned out to be the tech giant Meta as she grapples with the repercussions of her business's Facebook account being hacked.


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Small businesses faced challenges as their social media accounts were being hacked. Credit: Shutterstock


For nine gruelling months, Wilson has been fighting to regain control of her account.

It is a total s**tshow,’ she said.

‘I'm a mum of two kids, my partner is doing it as well, and we were just forced into doing it all hours of the day trying to get this resolved, it's been a huge burden.’

Wilson's ordeal is not an isolated incident.

Across Australia, there has been a surge in complaints against Meta, with a staggering 120 per cent increase in small business cases since July 2022.

The Albanese government has not shied away from criticising the tech giant for allowing scams to run rampant.



The frustration among hacked account holders is palpable.

Many reported that Meta's customer support feels like a ‘black hole’, offering generic responses and making it nearly impossible to reach a real person.

This has led to calls for new regulations that would compel digital platforms to take action and impose hefty fines for non-compliance.

Wilson's experience is a cautionary tale for all small business owners.

After being locked out of her gym's Facebook pages in July 2023, she faced a fraudulent $20,000-per-day ad campaign called ‘Hot Trend Today’ and struggled to find meaningful help from Meta.


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It has been reported that Meta offered generic responses to users. Credit: Shutterstock


‘It made me feel sick when I realised that we were hacked,’ she recounted.

‘The process of what played out afterwards, I felt trapped and very small.’

Despite her efforts to secure her accounts with extra measures like two-factor authentication, the hackers struck again, leading to the permanent deletion of her personal Facebook account and a significant loss of business revenue.

‘There's no other business that would be able to provide a service to Australian small businesses and behave in this way,’ she said.



The outcry against Meta is not limited to Australia.

Representatives from 40 states in the United States have expressed their concerns about the company's failure to prevent account takeovers and provide adequate customer support.

The letter stated, ‘The frequency and persistence of account takeovers on Meta-owned platforms puts it in a league of its own.’

For artists like Brisbane's Giles Kilham, who rely on Instagram to sell their work, the impact of a hacked account can be devastating.

Two years ago, he fell victim to a phishing scam in which hackers sent him a phishing message pretending to be someone else.

Kilham lost access to his account and, with it, his customer base and engagement.

It also appeared his account had been deleted, which left him no choice but to start from scratch.

‘Dealing with Meta was frustrating,’ Kilham said. ‘It just goes into some abyss, and you never hear anything again.’

‘They asked for assistance (and) I unwittingly gave the hackers the ability to get into my account and change my password and throw me out.’



The Small Business Ombudsman, Bruce Billson, has noted that disputes involving digital platforms like Meta's are the fastest-growing area his agency is handling.

He said there have been 140 cases in the past six months about Meta.

‘We are a taxpayer-funded resource and this really should be sorted out at the platform long before we need to get involved,’ Billson said.

Even with a direct line to Meta, resolving these issues can be a slow and frustrating process.

As the government drafts a new mandatory code to impose obligations on social media platforms to protect customers against scams, consumer advocates are pushing for financial penalties for non-compliance.



Meta was unavailable for an interview to comment on this matter and did not respond to the questions.

‘We don’t have anything further to add to your story,’ a company spokesperson said.

Wilson has been calling for change as she claimed the ‘power imbalance is obvious’.

'We're begging for assistance to get back onto this platform that we now hate,’ she said.

Meta announced in November that companies using Facebook or Instagram may subscribe to ‘Meta Verified,’ a tool for verifying their legitimacy.

The aim is to inspire confidence in consumers encountering a business online for the first time, with a verification badge denoting authenticity.
Key Takeaways

  • A Melbourne gym owner has been engaged in a nine-month struggle with Meta to regain access to her hacked Facebook business account, which has had a significant financial impact on her business.
  • Victims of hacks on Meta platforms have found it difficult to obtain support, with many receiving generic responses and facing challenges in getting assistance from the company.
  • The Australian Small Business Ombudsman has reported a fast-growing number of disputes involving digital platforms like Meta.
  • There are calls for stronger regulatory measures and potential financial penalties for social media companies failing to protect their users.
What are your thoughts on this story, members? What do you do to keep your social media accounts safe? Let us know in the comments below!
 
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It's tough when you're trying to focus on running your gym and suddenly you're thrown into this digital battle.
Have you considered implementing two-factor authentication or other security measures to protect your account in the future? It might help prevent this kind of situation from happening again. Stay strong, Catherine!
If you're looking to boost your social media presence after this ordeal, I recently came across a budget-friendly SMM provider called 9smm.com. You might want to give them a try to help rebuild your online presence.
 
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I've had to close down my on-line business of 3 years, simply because the Meta bots keep removing my Marketplace access. There's no recourse, no one to contact, and no explanations given. I have just had to give up after spending over $30k trying to get something worthwhile and slightly profitable started...
 
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Reactions: Ezzy
I think Facebook charge a monthly fee for a verified Meta account!!! Not much help when you've already lost so much because they aren't willing to maintain proper security on their system. Meta, along with their other platforms are not worth the trouble so far as I am concerned. I do feel very sorry for all the small businesses that rely on Facebook to enable them to continue in business in this frustrating era we are struggling with.
 
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Reactions: Ezzy
I don't understand how anybody can post their business on Facebook and expect positive results. when anyone with half a brain wouldn't believe the business wasn't a SCAM.
 
I don't understand how anybody can post their business on Facebook and expect positive results. when anyone with half a brain wouldn't believe the business wasn't a SCAM.
Both my daughter and my grandson have an online presence for their respective businesses through Facebook, and they are certainly not scams. They both work very hard and are honest people. True, there are some scams operating on Facebook as there are on other social media platforms, but to brand them all as probable scams is incorrect and insulting to the many hardworking people who really have very limited options for advertising their services.
 
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Reactions: Bob Kinzett
Both my daughter and my grandson have an online presence for their respective businesses through Facebook, and they are certainly not scams. They both work very hard and are honest people. True, there are some scams operating on Facebook as there are on other social media platforms, but to brand them all as probable scams is incorrect and insulting to the many hardworking people who really have very limited options for advertising their services.
Hi, I agree with you and sympathize with costs in doing business, but so many negative stories about Facebook plus so many times I click on a site advertised on Facebook and my virus protection says unsafe site go back to safety. Is it worth it.
 
Hi, I agree with you and sympathize with costs in doing business, but so many negative stories about Facebook plus so many times I click on a site advertised on Facebook and my virus protection says unsafe site go back to safety. Is it worth it.
Yes, I have that same issue with my virus protection warning against many sites. Even sites that I actually subscribe to because I want their information! There's a fine line between protection and censorship and it's not always easy to devise protection programs that always get this distinction right.
 
Phuck Meta and Phuck Facebook?
I am so glad I never signed up to either of these things. Tripadvisor was enough for me to realise you don't have control once you sign up - I could never contact them to delete my account. The old saying goes, be careful what you sign up for is still true today.
 

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