PENNSYLVANIA — Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry is urging Meta to investigate the causes of spike in “account takeovers” and increase protection for consumers.
A letter sent from 41 attorney generals across the country asks for Meta to investigate instances where hackers lock customers out of accounts, steal personal information and post harmful content.
The letter presents data to show the activity has increased dramatically in recent years. In Pennsylvania, takeovers increased 270% from 2022 to 2023, Henry said.
“Being locked out of a Facebook or Instagram account can be catastrophic for account holders who are left helpless as hackers, in some cases, assume their identity,” Henry said. “We are demanding action from Meta and information that explains the alarming increase in takeover activity. The Office of Attorney General is not Meta’s customer service department.”
The attorney general’s office cites Meta’s recent layoffs of 11,000 employees from the “security, privacy, and integrity sector” as a potential cause of the account takeovers.
The Attorneys General, in the letter, requested a meeting with Meta leadership to discuss the scope of the issue, its causes and response actions and plans from the social media company.
If you have been a victim of an account takeover or similar social media issue, you can file a complaint with the Bureau of Consumer Protection online at https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/submit-a-complaint/consumer-complaint/, over the phone at 1-800-441-2555 or by email scams@attorneygeneral.gov.
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