I’ve been using Facebook since 2006 and in 2010, Bangsar Babe’s Facebook Page was created as a way for me to post updates and connect with my fans. The page was verified some time in 2014, a milestone I’m proud of after years of hard work.
My personal page isn’t half as active as Bangsar Babe’s Facebook Page – there aren’t that many postings though I use it to get updates from friends and primarily as the admin account to manage Bangsar Babe. Imagine my dismay when I was “logged out” from my account and when I tried logging in again, I see the message below.
It looks like your account has been removed from Facebook for pretending to be someone else, which goes against our Community Standards. To learn more about our Community Standards, please follow the link below:
Seriously, WTF?
My account was removed? What?! Why?
I cleared my cache. And tried logging in with another browser. Same message pops up. FACEBOOK REMOVED MY ACCOUNT! There was a link to a page where I need to submit verification documents and ID, and I did just that. I even submitted the trademark documents for Bangsar Babe to confirm both accounts belong to me.
What happened?
I had earlier reported an account for pretending to be me and after checking, Facebook apparently decided I was the impersonator. I panicked. How is it that I’m the fraud? My photos were blatantly stolen from Bangsar Babe’s page and used as profile photos on other FB accounts. How is that my fault and why am I being penalised?
“Maybe the imposter flagged you.” I got this from a google search to find out if others were facing similar issues.
That makes even less sense. Why would the imposter flag me as the fake account? Could I have been sabotaged? A million “could it be” thoughts flooded my mind and I frantically called every possible number I found online, hoping it would be the real Facebook number. I even stalked and messaged Facebook employees on LinkedIn, just to get to the bottom of the situation. #sorryforspammingyourinbox
I know what most people would say – it’s not the end of the world. Maybe not physically, but it is as close to being the end of my online world. A platform I spent 7 years building from scratch, threatened to cease existence.
It isn’t just a cold turkey withdrawal symptom. It means losing the ability to communicate with a large network of friends. Because Bangsar Babe is a public figure, my photos are often used without my permission – as profile photos to lure men or to scam others for money. I’ve gotten reports from friends and fans who spotted my photos on Facebook pages that aren’t mine.
And it’s been an ongoing problem for me.
Often, these fake accounts get closed but new ones are always popping up. Sometimes, Facebook decides an impersonator isn’t “pretending to be me” so they leave the page be.
But I don’t understand is how a human being can look at the profile I reported and NOT see that it belongs to an impersonator. And instead, turn around and ban my page because they think I’m the fraud.
I mean, who in their right mind would look at a Facebook account that has been open since 2007 with hundreds of photos and is connected to a page which is Facebook VERIFIED, and still think I’m the impersonator?
18 hours of wait time, which felt like forever.
After I submitted my identification and necessary documents to prove both Sue Lynn and Bangsar Babe’s account rightfully belongs to me, the accounts were reinstated. What I don’t get is how and why did this happen to me, while the imposters run wild and free.
Something similar happened to Joel a few years back so I wasn’t as frantic as I usually would be (read: I didn’t go bonkers). But the 18-hours of wait was painful and highly unnecessary. I hope this never happens to anyone who reports a fraud account!
Bangsar Babe on Facebook Bangsar Babe on Instagram