From the archive. First published in September 2016. Rewritten for clarity, with a note on what happened afterwards.
In 2016 Facebook tightened the rules on messaging page inboxes, aimed squarely at the flood of unsolicited approaches every page admin will recognise. The classic example reads something like an advertiser claiming to be ready to pay a large sum for your page, sent to thousands of pages at once.
Why it mattered beyond the spam
Those messages were never mostly genuine offers. Mass inbox solicitation is the standard first step in page theft. The sequence is consistent: an unsolicited approach with a number high enough to stop you thinking, a short exchange to build credibility, then a request for access of some kind before any money moves.
The modern version uses Business Manager partner requests rather than a crude ask for your password. You receive what looks like a legitimate access request, often inside a genuine notification email that passes every authentication check, because the attacker has placed their text inside Meta’s own templates. Approving it grants sanctioned access that survives a password change.
The rule that protects you
Nobody needs access to your page before paying you. Not to verify it, not to value it, not to prepare a campaign. A genuine buyer works through escrow or a screened middleman and expects access to move after the money does.
If someone needs access first, the access is what they came for.
How to handle an inbox offer
- Do not reply to the number. Get an independent valuation before you engage at all.
- Never accept a partner or business access request from an email link. Go to Business Settings yourself.
- Check who already has access under People, Partners and System users.
- Keep two factor authentication on the profile that controls the page.
The full breakdown of current techniques is in how pages get stolen.
Thinking of selling?
We give free valuations with no obligation. Send us the page URL and a representative replies with a figure, usually within one business day. Looking to buy instead? Register as a buyer.
