The situation of having a Facebook ad account disabled or restricted is quite common nowadays. So, what are the specific reasons behind this issue, and how can you appeal to the system to recover your account quickly? This is definitely a concern for digital marketing professionals.
1. Causes of disabled Facebook ad accounts
Facebook ad accounts can be disabled or restricted due to violations of one or more of the following reasons:
1.1. Violation of Facebook Advertising Policies
Facebook reviews all ad content. If an ad contains messages that violate Facebook’s policies, the ad account will be temporarily disabled. The most common violations include using images or products featuring logos of famous brands like Adidas, Dior, Hermes, CK, etc., without permission.
Products listed in Facebook’s prohibited or restricted categories such as dietary supplements, aphrodisiacs, sex toys, weapons, stimulants, counterfeit goods, multi-level marketing, or election-related products are highly likely to cause account disabling. All running ads will be stopped immediately.
1.2. Advertising Prohibited Products on Facebook
The following types of content are banned and can lead to account disabling:
Community Standards: Only share images or videos you have rights to (avoid copyright infringement). Ads must be relevant and appropriate.
Illegal Products or Services: Includes addictive substances, tobacco, stimulants, unsafe supplements, and adult content.
Misleading Content: Unrealistic promises, unproven health claims (e.g., unverified dietary supplements), multi-level marketing schemes, cryptocurrency, or quick loan ads.
Sensational or Controversial Content: Avoid content that is shocking or misleading to comply with community guidelines.
1.3. Advertising Restricted Products on Facebook
Certain products are allowed but with restrictions, including: alcoholic beverages, gambling and betting, cryptocurrency, brand logos.
For products related to aesthetics, weight loss, and cosmetic surgery, ads must target users aged 18 and above only.
1.4. Account Exhibiting Unusual Behavior
Facebook’s AI flags accounts as suspicious if they show behaviors such as:
- Sudden large increases or decreases in budget
- Running many ads with different content from one account
- Logging in from multiple IP addresses
- Accounts that have never run ads before
- Irregular or infrequent ad activity
These behaviors are considered abnormal and can lead to ad account disabling
2. Latest methods to appeal disabled Facebook ad accounts
If your Facebook ad account is disabled even though you have not violated any policies, you can file an appeal to the system. The two newest ways to appeal a disabled ad account are as follows:
2.1. Identity Verification of Ad Account
This method is quite simple and easy, requiring you to upload your personal identification documents for Facebook to review. You can use your ID card, driver’s license, or passport. Note that if you previously uploaded your ID card for verification, next time try uploading your driver’s license. Steps:
- Go to the “Account Quality” section and click on “Request Review”, or visit this link: https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/183000765122339
- Select “Identity Verification”.
- Upload a photo of your identification document (only one side is needed).
- Wait for Facebook staff to verify your identity.
2.2. Appeal for Error Codes 273 or 902
Facebook may disable your ad account and ask you to verify if “This is your account” or to “Select the disabled account” when encountering error codes 273 or 902. To appeal these cases, follow these steps:
Step 1: Access the appeal link for error 273:
https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/2026068680760273
Note: It is recommended to use this link rather than appealing directly from the Account Quality section, as direct appeals have a higher risk of permanent account disabling.
Step 2: On the appeal page, confirm the ad account you want to appeal. Then select AD ACCOUNT.
Choose an admin account with a high trust level to increase the chance of success.
Step 3: Select one of the three reasons Facebook provides, then submit your appeal.
After submission, regularly check notifications for updates. Facebook usually responds within 5–7 days.
3. Review time for ad account appeal
After appealing a disabled account to the Facebook system, the result will not be notified immediately. Instead, you will have to wait for a period of time. The review result completely depends on the working speed of Facebook staff. For appeals with identity documents, the time is about 24 – 48 hours. For cases 273 or 902, the time can be up to 5 – 7 days.
You can check the status of your account review by accessing the “Account Quality” section. Then, continue to click on “Account Issues” and check the “Review Status” part. If the status is “Under Review”, it means Facebook staff have not finished checking the account yet. If it shows “Rejected after Review”, the system has permanently banned your account. At this point, you can only create a new account to continue using.
4. Notes when using ad accounts to avoid being disabled
To limit the situation of ad accounts being disabled, causing difficulties when running Facebook Ads, you should pay attention to the following issues:
Use an authentic personal Facebook account with real information
You must absolutely not use a non-authentic Facebook account to create an ad account. This causes difficulties if the ad account is disabled, as you cannot verify information or recover the account. Personal Facebook accounts should have your own profile picture; the older the account, the more trustworthy it is to Facebook.
Keep consistent information
The information must be consistent when you enter it into Facebook’s system. For example, the account name must match the name on the Visa card used for advertising. Otherwise, the account cannot be verified and will be disabled.
Do not log into multiple ad accounts on the same computer
If you have multiple personal Facebook accounts, do not log into multiple accounts on the same device. It is best to use multiple devices or different web browsers. Besides Chrome, log in using Firefox or Edge. Do not use tricks to “bypass” Facebook to avoid being flagged by the system, which affects other advertisers.
Optimize your Fanpage
The fanpage must be optimized before running ads. You need to fully add information such as Email, address, contact phone number, profile photo, and cover photo. Posts must have clear content and images that comply with Facebook’s standards. No posts should violate Facebook’s policies.
Additionally, the content of posts used for advertising must be truthful. Do not use phrases like “100% effective,” “guaranteed 100%,” “customers 100% satisfied, no disappointment.” The fanpage must not use images or content related to prohibited items (hate speech, incitement, violence, copyright infringement, etc.).
If you have done all the above but your account is still disabled, accept it. This is because accounts from Vietnam are always more strictly managed by Facebook due to past violations by Vietnamese advertisers.
The above are the latest methods to appeal disabled ad accounts that LoLo Media has accumulated to help you recover your account quickly. However, these methods only apply when your account is “clean” and does not violate any of Facebook’s policies.