Locked out of your Facebook account? Here’s what you need to know

CHARLOTTE — Several people have contacted Action 9 saying they’ve been locked out of their Facebook accounts and they can’t get any help from the social media website to fix the problem.

Nyisha Alston keeps checking her phone, hoping she’ll be able to get back into her Facebook account. She says she got locked out of her account and she’s not sure how it happened.

“I do feel violated. I really do,” Alston said. “I have a custom baking service. I’ve not been able to operate because my target market is on social media. I’m in the process of launching two other businesses … I’ve had to push pause on those things.”

Alston says she used Facebook’s help tool and also tried getting in touch with a real person at the company, but she hasn’t had any luck.

Other people who contacted Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke had similar problems, saying they could not get any help from the social media giant. One person told Stoogenke that she just wanted her photos and memories back. Another was worried that the hacker may try to scam his family and friends.

“I’m trying to be optimistic. You know, there’s a saying that tough times don’t last, tough people do and I’m as tough as it gets,” Alston said. “But yes, this has been very frustrating. If it gets to the point of me having to create a new profile, I will, but that’s not what I want to do.”

Stoogenke has reached out to Facebook on behalf of these viewers multiple times since the end of November. The company did not respond in time for this report.

Cybersecurity expert Bob Sullivan says Facebook users can do two things now before there’s a problem.

“It is a good idea to give Facebook your phone number so you can use your phone number to retrieve your account,” he said. “I think it’s also incredibly important to use two-factor authentication.”

If your Facebook account gets hacked, start with Facebook’s help tool here. Also, have your friends report that you’ve been hacked.

“If you have 50 people telling Facebook there’s a problem with this account, they’re more likely to look into it more quickly,” Sullivan added.

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