Aussie businesses sick of Meta hacks: Industry CEO calls on ACCC and PM to force Meta to set up help desk

Beauty industry entrepreneur and founder and CEO of Lash Boss Melbourne, Ayla Akyol, is calling on the ACCC and the Prime Minister to investigate Meta and impose new operating requirements to support Meta Verified businesses in Australia that advertise with the global digital giant.

"Businesses big and small across Australia have had enough. We pay a lot of money to Meta in advertising and yet there is little to no support in return," Akyol said.

"Like many businesses, we paid additional monies to become Meta verified.    Meta Verified for businesses is a paid subscription for eligible businesses to stand out with a verified badge that confirms the business is validated and authentic.

"This is an annual fee that we pay to demonstrate that we are a genuine business entity.  I provided documents to Meta including my personal identification information to demonstrate that we are real and owned and run by a legitimate person.

"A few weeks ago our Meta accounts were hacked.   The hacker changed my age to 13 and as a result my accounts were disabled and Meta would not assist me because they deem me to be too young to have an account.  I emailed and submitted requests for assistance and received no response from Meta.

"How ridiculous.  We are Meta Verified and they even have my ID to verify my real age.

"There is no phone number to call and nor is there a help desk that I could reach for immediate assistance.

"Despite seeking help through the convoluted Meta system, no one is yet to get back to me.  Thankfully, I was able to solve by reaching out to a digital agency however business customers of Meta should have access to Meta support.  

"We should not be left stranded.  If Meta wants to take our money, they need to lift their game and if they are not going to do it voluntarily, then they must be forced to it through legislation.

"Clearly, the business verification process is a scam and Meta is using the scam to extract even more money out of honest hardworking business owners across the country and they are getting away with it."

Akyol is calling on the ACCC and the Prime Minister to act.

"Enough is enough.  Too many businesses are being ripped off and brought to their knees by Meta. Every day businesses are experiencing account hacks and they are receiving no assistance from Meta.  These are businesses like mine that have built their market presence online using Meta social media platforms Facebook and Instagram and they have paid a lot of money to Meta in advertising," Akyol said.

Meta earns, based on one estimate by the ACCC, about $5 billion in advertising revenue from local businesses every year. The true figure is impossible to know. Meta reported $US36.2 billion in revenue alone in 2022 from customers based in the Asia-Pacific region, $US26.5 billion of which was advertising revenue. Facebook Australia reported $1.2 billion in revenue in 2022.

"If the Prime Minister and the ACCC really want to help Australian businesses then it is time to stop Meta's blatant exploitation of Australian businesses," Akyol added.

"Things are only going to get worse as more and more people move online to shop and socialise. Hackers are becoming more sophisticated.Businesses are vigilant and take care with passwords however hackers are becoming so clever that they are able to get around online safety precautions including two factor authentication. Just look at the Medibank hack.  

"It is not good enough that Meta just takes our money and then makes it impossible to reach them to solve things.   It is time for action."

Akyol has reached out to the Prime Minister and the Chair of the ACCC to arrange a meeting regarding the issue to seek Australian Government action.  

About Lash Boss Melbourne

Lash Boss Melbourne is Australia's leading and fastest growing eyelash extension academy for onsite training and at-home courses. The training provider delivers nationally recognised certification in eyelash extension application including classic, volume and hybrid lash extensions. Training courses are delivered in person at their Chadstone office, or as an at home online course. As a multi-million dollar lash business that is continually growing year-on-year, Lash Boss Melbourne services lash extension technician students Australia wide and has branched out to include Canada, USA and New Zealand. The company also stocks a wide range of lash products and lash technician equipment and accessories.

https://lashbossmelb.com/