New Facebook Scam Targeting Hudson Valley Business Pages

If you own a business here in the Hudson Valley and you operate a Facebook Business Page, you must be careful of the new scam that's stealing Business Pages and personal information.

Hudson Valley Businesses Targeted By Recent Facebook Scam

Besides having my personal profile on Facebook, I have a business page for content I make outside of Townsquare. It's mostly for music and fun videos, nothing crazy. I definitely do not go out of my way to push the envelope or to rip off anyone else's content. Honestly, there are so many meme pages out there that are stealing creators' content. That's a major conversation for another time. Needless to say, I'm pretty clean online.

Hence why I was surprised when I got this message pop into my business account's inbox. The message claimed that it was from Facebook and that my page was going to be deleted if I didn't take action.

Important notification:

Your Facebook page and account are expected to be permanently removed because some posts have violated our trademark rights. We made this decision after careful consideration and in compliance with our intellectual property protection policies.

If you believe this is a misunderstanding, we kindly request that you file an appeal to restore your site and account before it is permanently disabled.

Request review: [insert sketchy link]

We understand that this situation may impact your ongoing business operations. However, please note that if we do not receive your complaint, our decision will be final.

Your cooperation and understanding are greatly appreciated. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.

Best regards,
Facebook support group

Get our free mobile app

Immediately, I did not trust this. Why would Facebook be sending this to me via Messenger. If you search for Trademark Infringement Scams on Facebook, you'll find many articles warning about messages like the one I received. Scammers aim to steal pages with significant audiences to use them to spread more scams. They may also try phishing more of your personal information. These articles show examples of messages identical or very similar to mine below.

In the days since I received that message, I have received 4 more just like it. I've reported each one and blocked them. Friends have also been posting about it on their pages, saying that their business pages were targeted, as well, and have tried warning people of the danger. Needless to say, if you see anything like this appear in your Inbox, stay away.

Protect Your Hudson Valley Business By Identifying REAL Trademark Infringement on Facebook

So, how will you know when you receive a real notice from Facebook versus a fake one? Facebook says that they'll let you know when something you posted goes against their Community Standards with a notification in your Feed when you log in. You can also find it in your Support Inbox. Your Support Inbox is different than your regular Inbox. To access the Support Inbox, click on your profile on the top right of Facebook. Click "Help & Support" and under that section you will find your Support Inbox.

According to Facebook's Reporting Trademark Infringement Page trademark infringement occurs when all three of the following requirements are met:

• A company or person uses a trademark owner’s trademark (or similar trademark) without permission
• That use is in commerce, meaning that it’s done in connection with the sale or promotion of goods or services
• That use is likely to confuse consumers about the source, endorsement or affiliation of the goods or services

To avoid a trademark infringement, before posting content, ask yourself:

• Have I used someone else’s trademark to sell or promote goods or services in a way that may confuse people?
• Does my use of a trademark only refer to someone else’s goods or services, or make some other type of non-infringing use of the trademark (example: using a trademarked word in its ordinary dictionary meaning, or using the trademark in a way that is not related to the sale or promotion of products or services)?