Inside Job
June 13, 2025 at 11:31PMWhen an Instagram account is hacked or a Facebook account is disabled, many users find dealing with Meta to be a maddening, fruitless process. For The Globe and Mail, reporters Kathryn Blaze Baum and Alexandra Posadzki reveal the network of brokers who, for a fee, perform unauthorized account recoveries with the help of Meta insiders and (no kidding) something termed the “Oops” mechanism.
As a result of the company’s inaction, well-connected brokers – people who know people who know people inside Meta – have been able to profit from the sale of unauthorized account reinstatement services. Some of these brokers find customers through word of mouth, others advertise online and in chat groups.
Several people familiar with the broker-insider arrangement explained how it works. Two people said brokers charge more for accounts with a significant following and for those that are disabled for more serious reasons, such as sexual content. Three described a payment system in which the client sends the broker money or cryptocurrency, which is then apportioned between the broker and the Meta insider.
Meta, the world’s largest social media company, is well aware of the sale of unauthorized account recovery services. The Globe obtained hundreds of pages of court records showing the company has sought orders, as recently as February, to shut these brokers down and compel them to reveal the identities of their Meta connections.
The records also indicate that, despite its vast resources, Meta doesn’t have a complete picture of how many of its personnel have been accepting payment for providing unsanctioned services.
from Longreads https://longreads.com/2025/06/13/meta-facebook-instagram-hack-brokers/
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