It's easy to get hacked on Facebook and lose access to your account. And getting it back can be a help-desk headache for some users.
All too often, users click links indiscriminately. They add friends they don't really know. They sign up for applications without knowing what they do. And most people use the same password for every website -- a dream come true for malicious users looking to steal your information.
To protect us, the mechanical bouncers in Facebook's system scan the site for unusual activity, and will suspend your account if they think your profile was breached by a malicious user. But the process to get it working again doesn't always go smoothly.
To protect us, the mechanical bouncers in Facebook's system scan the site for unusual activity, and will suspend your account if they think your profile was breached by a malicious user. But the process to get it working again doesn't always go smoothly.
For example, the system can suspend the account if it sees you're logging in from another country or from a device you don't typically use. As a security precaution, a user then has to verify their identity.
In most cases, it's an easy fix. Just type in a code that is texted to your phone or verify your birthday, and then change the password. But if there's a technical glitch within Facebook, some users can be blocked for months without being able to find help in fixing the problem. To make matters more frustrating, there's no way to reach a human by phone on Facebook.
Don Silver hasn't had access to his Facebook page for more than a month. He has two options to reactivate his account: get a special code texted to the phone number he registered with Facebook, or recognize five randomly chosen pictures from his Facebook friends.
The phone route didn't work. He hasn't received a text message code after repeated tries. And as the chief operating officer of public relations firm Boardroom Communications, he has Facebook friends he's met only once -- making it difficult to recognize some people.
``I have no idea who the guy is,'' Silver said as he looked at the first photo in Facebook's test. ``He's hugging a beautiful girl, but she's covering half his face.''
He sent repeated messages to Facebook's help team, but was told each time that they don't see a problem with his account.
And there's Marjorie Swensson of Kendall, who also hasn't been able to access Facebook in more than a month. She said the security verification asked for her birth date. Problem is, the Facebook website says her birth date is wrong. She's sent numerous messages to Facebook's help account, but has yet to get a response.
When told of Silver and Swensson's problems, Facebook responded with a general statement, saying it is ``constantly working to improve these systems to make the experience of confirming an identity and regaining access to an account as painless as possible.''
If you find yourself locked out of Facebook because of a technical glitch, enter a detailed message of the problem at
facebook.com/help/?page=1024 and follow the appropriate link.
If you don't hear back, keep trying. I've seen numerous reports online of people getting their problem fixed after several months -- but they never got a notification message.
Facebook clearly has a serious customer-service issue. Having users go weeks without answers is unacceptable.
Let this be a reminder that although we depend heavily on Facebook for communication, it can be gone in a flash, like all other things in our digital lives.
But to avoid getting caught in a similar mess, practice safe surfing to avoid accidentally compromising your account. Use a different password for all sites, don't click on unknown applications, and don't click on links from odd-sounding messages.
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