Having your Facebook account restricted from advertising can be frustrating and concerning. Facebook restricts accounts for various reasons, usually related to suspicious or policy-violating activity. Getting restricted means you cannot create new ads or promote existing posts.
Don’t panic – there are steps you can take to get your account back in good standing. The key is understanding why your account was restricted in the first place. Facebook’s advertising policies have gotten stricter over time to improve security and cut down on fraud. Reviewing their guidelines carefully and adjusting your practices can help avoid further issues.
Here are some common reasons an account may get restricted from advertising:
Suspicious payment activity
If you recently changed your payment method or billing details, Facebook’s automated systems may flag your account. They have to verify the payment method is legitimate and you are the valid account holder.
The same thing can happen if you make large or irregular advertising purchases. Facebook restricts accounts until they can confirm your identity and that you authorized the payments.
Policy violations
Facebook advertising policies prohibit certain types of content, data practices, and targeting tactics. For example, you cannot discriminate based on race, promote illegal or recreational drugs, or use certain types of sensitive data for targeting ads.
If their systems detect policy violations in your ads or target audience selections, your account will be immediately restricted until you can demonstrate compliance.
Unusual activity
Spikes in advertising spend, rapid account changes, or irregular login patterns might trigger an automatic restriction. Facebook’s system can interpret those as signals of compromised or malicious accounts.
Getting flagged for unusual activity requires passing Facebook’s security checks before advertising access is restored. This restriction reason aims to cut down on fraud and hijacked accounts.
Manual reviewer identified an issue
In some cases, a Facebook employee manually reviews an ad account and identifies problems. This usually happens if users submit complaints about your ads or page content. Issues identified during human review can lead to advertising restrictions.
How can I get my Facebook account unrestricted?
If you received an alert that your Facebook account is prohibited from advertising, don’t fret. In most cases, you can get your account restored to good standing by taking a few corrective steps.
Check and adjust your payment info
If the restriction is related to suspicious payments, first double check your payment methods on file. Make sure all the credit cards and billing details listed are legitimate and up-to-date. Consider removing any cards that seem unfamiliar or fraudulent.
You can also preemptively add a secondary payment method, even if you don’t intend to use it. This signals to Facebook that your account has multiple valid payment options on file, reducing the risk of fraudulent charges.
Carefully review all policies
Read through Facebook’s full advertising policies and look for any areas where your existing ads or targeting settings violate the rules. Even minor or accidental violations can trigger restrictions.
Pay particular attention to policies around discrimination, financial services, health claims, political ads, prohibited content, and user safety. Check both your active and inactive ads for compliance issues.
Submit an appeal
Facebook’s appeals process allows you to request an additional human review of your restricted account status. In the appeal, provide as much detail as possible explaining why you believe your account was restricted in error.
Clearly outline any changes you have made to resolve policy violations or suspicious activity triggers. Detail any other mitigating factors for why your account should be restored.
Strengthen security and authentication
If the restriction is due to unusual or malicious account activity, Facebook will want proof you have strengthened security before restoring advertising access.
Make sure you have two-factor authentication enabled on your Facebook account and advertising accounts. Remove any unrecognized devices or sessions. Change your password to something secure.
You can also provide valid government ID to confirm your identity as the legitimate account holder.
Adjust your advertising activity
In some situations, Facebook may want you to moderate your advertising activity before fully restoring the account. That allows their systems to re-assess your behavior at lower activity levels initially.
Consider pausing campaigns for 1-2 weeks before slowly ramping up again. When you resume advertising, keep spend and pacing modest at first. Avoid making sudden, large changes in spend or strategy that could re-trigger restrictions.
Best practices to avoid restrictions
Making a few proactive changes can help prevent your Facebook advertising account from getting restricted again down the line:
Maintain accurate payment info
Regularly review and update the payment methods connected to your Facebook advertising accounts. Remove any cards that appear invalid or are no longer in use.
Having at least two legitimate payment options on file helps avoid issues if one card expires or is reported lost/stolen.
Learn the policies thoroughly
Get familiar with Facebook’s full advertising policies and keep them handy for reference. Periodically review new ads and targeting for policy compliance before publishing. Avoid anything misleading, discriminatory, or related to prohibited products.
Enable login alerts
Turn on Facebook’s login alerts to receive notifications whenever someone accesses your account from an unrecognized device. This allows you to quickly report unauthorized logins.
Monitor closely for violations
Frequently check your active and inactive ads for any violations detected by Facebook’s systems. Their automated monitoring can identify issues before they trigger restrictions. Addressing violations promptly can help avoid advertising interruptions.
Avoid rapid changes
When making significant changes to your advertising account, roll them out gradually. Large sudden spikes in spend or account changes may appear suspicious. Keeping activity patterns consistent reduces the risk of automated restrictions.
What to do if your appeal is denied
In some difficult cases, submitting an appeal may not immediately resolve your advertising restriction. If your appeal gets denied, here are some additional steps to take:
Seek live support
Reach out to Facebook’s live chat support for help identifying any outstanding issues with your account. Provide the case number from your rejected appeal for reference. The chat agents may be able to spot problems with your appeal or account that automated systems cannot.
Check for duplicate accounts
Facebook may reject appeals if you have advertising accounts under multiple duplicated profiles. Consolidate your business pages and ad accounts to focus activity in one legitimate profile. Delete any extra accounts being used improperly.
Retrain policy knowledge
Carefully re-review Facebook’s policies and guidance for restricted accounts. Look for areas where your understanding may still be lacking. Invest time in learning policy intricacies to avoid any doubt later on.
Consult an expert
Work with an experienced Facebook advertising strategist or agency. Their expertise navigating restrictions and appeals may uncover solutions you missed. Leverage their deeper knowledge of Facebook’s systems and regulator contact channels.
Request regulator review
As a last resort, you can request intervention from your state regulatory body or attorney general’s office. They have channels to engage Facebook on behalf of unfairly restricted accounts in certain cases. Be prepared to demonstrate you have made every good faith effort to resolve the issue directly.
Preventing restrictions checklist
Here is a checklist of key steps you can take to keep your Facebook advertising account in good standing:
| – Enable two-factor authentication | Adds extra login security |
| – Maintain accurate payment info | Reduces suspicious payments |
| – Review policies frequently | Catch any noncompliant ads |
| – Turn on login notifications | See unauthorized access attempts |
| – Scale advertising gradually | Avoids unusual spikes |
| – Consolidate accounts | No accidental duplicates |
| – Chat with live support | Quick help with issues |
| – Leverage expert assistance | Gain policy knowledge |
Conclusion
Having your Facebook account restricted from advertising can certainly be stressful and impact your business. However, in most cases you can successfully appeal the restriction and get your access restored. The key is thoroughly reviewing Facebook’s policies, strengthening your account security, modifying your advertising activity patterns, and avoiding repeats of any policy violations or suspicious account activity triggers. With some time and persistence, you can get your Facebook advertising privileges reinstated.