We live in strange times—where just running a simple ad for your local business can open the door to scam emails, fake alerts, and threats designed to scare you into handing over your login details. These scams often look real, sound official, and arrive at exactly the wrong moment: when you’re unsure, busy, or just trying to grow your business.
That’s no accident. Scammers prey on fear—and fear of “breaking the rules” is one of the easiest to exploit.
🎣 What is Phishing?
Phishing is when someone tries to trick you into clicking a link or giving away personal information (like your Facebook password or bank details) by pretending to be a trusted company—like Meta (Facebook), PayPal, or your bank.
In the case of Facebook Ads, these scams usually come in two forms:
- Fake copyright infringement notices
- Fake “Your ad account has been disabled” messages
They look urgent, official, and serious. But they’re not. They’re just dressed-up lies.
🚨 Real Examples We’ve Seen
Here are a few real subject lines from scam emails and messages we’ve received ourselves:
- “⚠️ Your Facebook Page has violated community standards”
- “Your ad account has been disabled due to repeated violations”
- “You’ve infringed copyright. Your page will be deleted in 24 hours”
- “Urgent: Confirm your identity to avoid account restrictions”
They often include a button or link that says:
“Appeal Now” or “Review Content”
And that link will take you to a page that looks just like Facebook… but isn’t.
❌ What NOT to Do
- Don’t click the link – even if it looks official.
- Don’t enter your Facebook login or password on any page you didn’t access directly.
- Don’t panic – these messages are designed to frighten you.
- Don’t forward it to friends – it only spreads confusion.
✅ What TO Do
- Check the sender’s email address – scams often come from strange Gmail addresses or domain names that aren’t facebook.com.
- Go to your Meta Business Manager manually – type in the address yourself (https://business.facebook.com) and check if there’s any real alert.
- Ask us! If you’re a BitDifferent client, just forward the message and we’ll check it for you.
- Report it as phishing – you can usually do this directly in your email platform (Gmail, Outlook, etc.).
🧠 Quick Checklist
Before clicking on any Facebook-related message, ask yourself:
✅ Is it really from Meta or just pretending to be?
→ Check the sender’s email address. Scammers often use Gmail or weird, unofficial domains.
✅ Does it include threats like “24 hours until deletion”?
→ That’s a classic scare tactic. Meta doesn’t send dramatic ultimatums like this.
✅ Did I receive this during or after running ads?
→ That’s when scammers often strike—because they know you’re already nervous.
✅ Can I verify this alert inside Business Manager myself?
→ Go directly to https://business.facebook.com and check for any real notifications.
💬 Still not sure?
We’ve seen these scams dozens of times. If you’re unsure whether something is real, just email us at [your email address] or send it via our contact form.
“Not sure? Just forward it to us. We’ll check it for you.”
No stress. No guessing. That’s why we’re here.