Tell HN: Meta suspended my FB account because of a bug
I created a Facebook account on 06/07 using my Gmail: firstname.lastname@gmail.com. There are 1,000 people with my name, and many times, people have attempted to reset their passwords using firstnamelastname@gmail.com (you don't know nice feature from gmail). I decided to add that account as a secondary contact.
Years later, I created an Instagram account using my regular email with a dot.
Recently, somebody created an Instagram account with a random alphanumeric username. using my Gmail firstnamelastname@gmail.com. Somehow they manage to keep the account active without validating the email.
Meta automatically linked it to my Meta FB account, and they suspended that Instagram account for breaking the ToS. Subsequently, Meta decided to suspend my Facebook account as well.
They instructed me to log into my new Instagram account to appeal, but I don't have the password obviously. If I try to recover it, it says the account is not found. I unlinked that Instagram from my Meta Account Center, but it didn't change anything. Now, I don't have access to Facebook Business, Ad Center, and my Quest VR account is being deleted as well.
I only have access to the Meta Account Center and my original Instagram account, which, for some reason, still works.
I have 2FA, phone and Authenticator on the account, by the way.
I read the post about filling a small claims court complain, but although seems like an overkill, I am considering it.
Any of you guys had similar experience?