Case Study: Recovering Meta Business Manager Control After a Security Breach

The Challenge

A growing business, lost full control of its Meta Business Manager after a former employee who originally held sole admin rights left the company without transferring ownership. As a result, the business was locked out of critical account settings and unable to safeguard access to its advertising tools.

This gap in control left business exposed. A hacker exploited the vulnerability, infiltrated their Ads Manager, and ran unauthorized campaigns. In a short period, more than £900 was spent on fraudulent Meta ads, draining resources and disrupting marketing activities.

Industry
Background screening

Services
Meta Ads Support & Consultancy

The Solution

OnBrand stepped in with a clear plan:

Ownership & Account Verification

Investigated Business Manager ownership history.
Guided the client through secure steps to re-establish control.
Ensured OnBrand was granted page access to escalate with Meta.

Urgent Partner Escalation

Leveraged Meta Business Partner channels to file emergency support tickets.
Provided Meta with evidence of former employee ownership, lockout status, and fraudulent ad spend.

Recovery & Safeguarding

Worked with Meta specialists to restore Business rightful ownership.
Reinstated Ads Manager and stopped fraudulent activity.
Implemented stronger safeguards: multiple admins, two-factor authentication, and role audits.

The Result

OnBrand restored full control of its Meta Business Manager and advertising accounts. Fraudulent campaigns were terminated, account security was reinforced, and the £900 lost to hacker-run ads was successfully refunded by Meta. Most importantly the business regained the ability to run legitimate paid campaigns.

Key Takeaway

Losing access to Meta Business Manager—whether due to staff turnover, hacking, or mismanaged admin rights—can cost businesses dearly in wasted spend, halted operations, and security risks.