Have a locked myself out of Facebook for all eternity?

February 14, 2013 3:44 PM

Is my Facebook screw-up fixable?

I have a commercial Facebook page to promote my projects. I hadn't been on this Facebook page for about a six weeks but needed to post something today. I got the message:
"Someone recently tried to log into your account from an unrecognized device or location. Please verify if it was you who tried to log in."

(I don't have different devices. I'm 102.) Then FB asked me to type in CAPTCHA letters, which I did. Then they asked for my birthdate. My birthdate didn't work.

Here's the possibly bad thing. There's a chance I originally gave FB a bogus birthdate because I really dislike its intrusiveness. Or maybe I gave them my real birthday, but it's not accepting it. I have no records anywhere on what I provided them way back when. I tried a few combinations of family members' birthdates; none worked. I'm in temporary FB lockdown. Is there anything I can do to fix this?

posted by Elsie to technology (6 answers total)

you might be able to wait 24 hours and try again.
posted by koroshiya at 4:07 PM on February 14

Is the page not linked to your regular, personal FB account? I thought all pages were. Or is it that you're locked out of your personal account too?
posted by drjimmy11 at 4:22 PM on February 14

I should've mentioned I don't have a personal FB account--strictly the business FB page.
posted by Elsie at 6:26 PM on February 14

You should be able to e-mail them and have them send you to a page where you name off some friends, some other questions (don't remember what) and if you answer correctly they'll give you your account back. But they'll probably make you enter in your real birthday if you tell them the reason you can't get in.
posted by Autumn at 1:24 AM on February 15

Here is the problem as I see it. Per facebook's rules you aren't supposed to use a personal page for a business which is what it sounds like you are doing (since you say you only have a business page and that isn't possible). You have to have a personal account and create a business page and link to it.

So once you do what Autumn says my guess is they are going to tell you that the page needs to be converted to a real business page linked to a personal page. This doesn't mean that you necessarily have to use the personal page but just be aware that that is probably going to happen.
posted by magnetsphere at 6:56 AM on February 15

I've learned a lesson from this - when having multiple facebook accounts, don't make up a different birth date each time. keep a log file of what info belongs to what account. FB should be more flexible. I have accounts that I don't attach my full name to (and I'd like to keep it that way) where I should have kept all of the details I submitted in case I get locked out.

sorry that this doesn't answer your question but contact facebook. if you signed up with a bogus name etc then you're likely to be locked out for good. Facebook is meant for people to sign up as who they really are.
posted by superuser at 9:02 AM on February 15