⚠️ 46,000 Followers. 273 Days. And Meta Still Won’t Remove the Hackers.
A year-long digital crime story: fake accounts, stolen identity, and a company that still hasn’t cleaned up the mess.
As HEATHSTORY grows, I want to share something personal that’s been unfolding behind the scenes. It’s deep in the weeds — and some of you may find it especially relevant as Big Tech faces lawsuits and scrutiny from Washington over its power, its algorithms, and its utter lack of customer support.
This is a real-world example of what happens when a major platform fails to protect a user. And not just any user — a verified journalist with a 12-year track record, a Meta-issued blue checkmark, and a nonprofit organization built around facts and public trust.
It Began with a Hack — Ten Months Ago
On September 27, 2024, a user named Petra Öhler gained unauthorized access to my Instagram account. I received no alerts at the time. But logs now show she added herself as a user across Meta’s platform.
By October 2, a user named Yehudi Nico was added to my verified Facebook page, JimHeathTV. Within hours, fake admins appeared: Christiane Milam, Anthony Nguyen, Ariana Castillo, and others.
Then they installed a completely fraudulent business entity on my verified page:
👉 “Heath for American Benefits Group”
By October 14, I had been fully removed as an admin.
They used my name, photo, and verified badge to run scam political ads and shady personal loan campaigns — all approved by Meta.
I Got My Page Back. But the Hackers Still Control the Backend.
I regained surface-level access on October 20, 2024.
But when I resumed posting months later, the real damage became clear:
I couldn’t remove the fraudulent business account
I couldn’t access political disclaimer tools
I couldn’t manage ads or monetization
The backend remained hijacked.
Meta knows.
Meta hasn’t fixed it.
I disabled my connected Instagram months ago, hoping to plug the hole. But just this week, I got a surprise email: someone was trying to reset the password.
I didn’t request it.
That means: the hackers are still probing. My page is still vulnerable.
Over $50,000 in Scam Ads — Through My Name
While my page was hijacked:
$50,000+ in ads were launched
At least $2,657 went to scam political ads
One campaign alone reached nearly 200,000 users
Meta accepted the payments — and left the fraud intact.
My Case Was Featured in a ProPublica Investigation
This isn’t just my word.
In October 2024, my hijacked Facebook page was featured in a joint investigation by the Tech Transparency Project, Columbia University’s Tow Center, and ProPublica.
The report showed how bad actors hijacked verified pages, inserted fake businesses, and ran scam political ads. JimHeathTV was one of the documented examples. The fake business name, the Vietnam-based admins — it’s all there.
Meta was made aware of the issue then.
They had a chance to fix it.
They didn’t.
I Provided Everything Meta Asked For
Since reporting the issue formally in March 2025, I’ve submitted:
A notarized sworn statement
A government-issued ID
IRS paperwork confirming HeathStory Media as a 501(c)(3)
Dozens of screenshots, receipts, and internal logs
Meta acknowledged the hack.
But the fake business still controls the backend.
I’ve Been Bounced Between 13 Meta Support Agents
Here’s who I’ve spoken with — over more than six weeks:
Harshit – May 13
Jason – May 14, 26, 27, 28
Alina – May 19
Ryan – May 22
Allen – May 24
Alvaro – June 6
Chetan – June 7
Sam – June 11
Mike – June 16
Ted – June 16
Leonardo – June 19
Alif – June 19
Each promised escalation.
None delivered resolution.
Algorithmically Erased
In June 2025, things got worse.
My page stopped showing up in feeds
Facebook search couldn’t find it
Even Google delisted it
For over a month, the JimHeathTV page has been choked out of existence — buried by Meta’s algorithm, right when civic journalism is needed most.
🔥 Meta Doesn’t Care. And It Shows.
Let’s be honest:
If this were any other company, they’d be out of business.
Meta let criminals hijack my verified identity.
They let them spend tens of thousands.
They used my name to push scam political ads.
And they’ve ignored six months of documentation and support requests.
Now, I can’t even reach my own audience.
🧨 This Isn’t Just About Me
I’m one of many creators Meta has failed to protect.
In March 2024, 41 state attorneys general warned about a 1,000% rise in hijacked accounts. Meta said they’d take it seriously. They haven’t.
When you silence someone’s voice, you’re not just breaking software.
You’re breaking trust.
Why We’re Telling This Story Now
If someone at Meta is finally investigating this, we want them to know:
We’re grateful. Truly.
We know it takes time to dig through fake credit cards, IP addresses, and scam ad trails — all the way back to Vietnam.
That deserves time.
But here’s what doesn’t:
It should never take 10 months to take a hacked page seriously
It shouldn’t require multiple affidavits, IDs, nonprofit docs, and press coverage
And it absolutely shouldn’t mean being punished by the algorithm for reporting a crime
In the last 30 days, JimHeathTV has been nearly erased.
Our reach is gone.
Our revenue has dropped in half.
We’re not even showing up in Google results.
Even worse, we fear the fake ads run by hackers could continue to taint our trust score — long after this is resolved.
If Meta’s system flags us as “high-risk” because of what was done to us, not by us, then the damage will keep going.
That’s why we’re telling this story now.
🗣 To Any Elected Official, Journalist, or Meta Employee Reading This:
I’m ready to talk. I have the full paper trail.
If you care about platform integrity — or truth — you should too.
📧 jimheath2010@gmail.com
📱 @HeathStoryOfficial on YouTube
🔗 facebook.com/JimHeathTV
📰 heathstory.substack.com
This isn’t a support ticket anymore.
It’s a case study in platform failure.
And it’s time for accountability.
A trillion-dollar company has as much responsibility to its users
as any small business on Main Street.
They tried to erase us. We’re still here.
And we’re not going anywhere.
What in the world???