As a small business owner, you rely on Facebook to connect with customers and promote your products or services. Unfortunately, the platform also attracts scammers looking to exploit small businesses. According to Federal Trade Commission data, over 5,200 small companies fell victim to social media scams in 2021, losing over $110 million collectively. Staying vigilant and knowing how to properly report Facebook scams is critical for small business protection.
Why Small Businesses Are Vulnerable to Facebook Scams
Small businesses make prime targets for Facebook scammers because:
- You have limited staff and cybersecurity resources compared to bigger companies
- You actively advertise on Facebook to spur growth, investing thousands in ads
- Your Facebook pages and ad accounts contain sensitive customer data
- Bad online reviews or hacked pages damage your reputation and sales
For these reasons, knowing how to swiftly report and block attacks on your Facebook presence is essential.
Common Facebook Scams Impacting Small Businesses
Scammers use many tactics to target small companies on Facebook, including:
- Page hacking: Getting unauthorized admin access to post spam links fans click, install malware, or share hacked page with followers
- Ads account hijacking: Changing payment settings to charge your cards for their ads or create lookalike fake pages
- Affiliate scams: Promising to help expand Facebook reach but charging hidden monthly fees you never approved
- Fake reviews: Posting positive reviews on your page then trying to extort money by threatening to change them to negative
- Support impersonation: Pretending to be Facebook support to get your login credentials or run tech support scams
Being able to rapidly recognize and report these types of scams can help limit financial and reputational damages.
Step-by-Step Guide to Reporting Facebook Business Scams
If you encounter any of the above scenarios targeting your business on Facebook, report them right away:
Reporting a Hacked Facebook Page
- Temporarily unpublished page so new posts stops
- Click the Support Inbox tab in your Facebook business settings
- Choose Report a Problem > Hacked Account
- Enter your page URL, screenshots, and known malicious actions from the hacker
- Click Send Report and confirm your account admin contact info
Reporting Hijacked Facebook Ads Accounts
- Pause all ads account spending immediately
- Open the ads Support Inbox
- Select Report a Violation > Unauthorized Ads Activity
- Provide the malicious ad account username, screenshots of unapproved ads or account changes
- Click Send Report and include confirmation contact details
Reporting Fake Reviews and Support Impersonation
- Go to the user profile page leaving the review or fake support message
- Click the three-dot menu > Report > Scam
- Upload screenshots, links to the scam post/message, and details in the text box
- Click Report Profile to submit
The more information you include, the quicker Facebook can investigate and restore your access.
Next Steps After Reporting Facebook Scams
After submitting scam reports, be sure to also:
- Secure your account: Change passwords, enable two-factor authentication, remove unauthorized third parties
- Warn contacts: Alert followers, customers, partners about hacking or support impersonation issues
- Review privacy: Double check security and audience filters on your page, ads accounts
- Monitor activity: Set up notifications for any changes made to your Facebook assets
- Preserve evidence: Save screenshots, support ticket details, and records of all unauthorized changes
Taking these steps helps safeguard your Facebook presence against further attacks or abuse.
How Small Businesses Can Protect Themselves from Future Scams
Along with acting swiftly to report scams, small companies should take proactive precautions like:
- Limiting admin access: Only let essential employees manage Facebook pages or advertising
- Using unique passwords: Don’t reuse passwords across multiple accounts or sites
- Enabling login approvals: Require secondary confirmation when accessing Facebook accounts
- Monitoring carefully: Check weekly for any suspicious posts or unauthorized changes
- Educating team: Train staff on common social media and ad scams to spot red flags faster
Building strong preventative defenses makes it much harder for scammers to penetrate in the first place.
Quickly reporting fraudulent activity and reinforcing Facebook security safeguards your small business‘ digital presence, finances, and customer trust. Don‘t hesitate to contact Facebook if you have any suspicions of scams targeting your assets. They provide dedicated resources to help impacted small business accounts get back on track.
