**Instagram Nightmares: Businesses Struggle as Meta Fails to Recover Hacked Accounts**

When Catherine Deane, a wedding dress designer, faced the hacking of her company’s Instagram account, it felt like a devastating loss. Her business relied heavily on Instagram, where they had built a following of 59,000. The saga began when a team member was tricked into clicking a fake verification link, leading to the loss of access to their account.

Ms. Deane’s battles with Meta for recovery lasted four months, filled with frustration and a lack of communication. Meta’s initial response was unhelpful, and it wasn’t until she reached out through a contact within the company that her account was finally restored.

Unfortunately, her experience is not unique. Jonas Borchgrevink, head of Hacked.com, estimates thousands of businesses fall victim to the same issue daily. His company assists numerous clients, yet many remain unaware that help exists, as account recovery can extend up to six months. Despite being asked, Meta declined to provide specific numbers about account hacking incidents and their recovery processes. They did emphasize the importance of strong passwords, two-factor authentication, and caution against phishing emails.

Hackers often take control of business accounts for nefarious reasons, such as selling counterfeit products, committing fraud, or demanding ransom. David Davila experienced this firsthand when he received a WhatsApp message asking for $1,200 to unlock a business account he lost access to due to a fake Meta message.

Despite various security measures, the frequency of these incidents suggests Meta is overwhelmed. Scammers have become increasingly sophisticated, using AI to fabricate fake messages that pose as genuine Meta communications. They often start by targeting personal accounts associated with business pages to usurp control.

Additionally, some businesses are reported to lose access for reasons unrelated to hacking. In one case, a franchise faced account loss when another franchisee was verified, labeling the account as a clone. Moreover, Chetha Senadeera, a digital marketer, described how his managed page for a Lithuanian banking mobile app vanished without explanation, leading to months of confusion and frustration over a restriction that the team disputed.

Overall, the situation highlights a significant gap in Meta’s support structure for businesses affected by fraud and mistaken account closures, prompting urgent calls for improvement in their recovery processes.