State AGs send letter to Meta asking it to take ‘immediate action’ on user account takeovers

MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) — A group of 40 state attorneys general have sent a letter to Instagram and Facebook parent company Meta expressing concern over what they say is dramatic uptick of consumer complaints about account takeovers and lockouts. The attorneys general called on Meta to do a better job preventing account takeovers. This happens when malicious actors take over users’ accounts, lock them out and post their own material, read private messages, scam contacts and engage in other harmful or illegal behavior. Even worse, the letter says, the takeovers pose a significant financial risk to users, who may be running businesses or have credit card information linked to their accounts.