JJ Mego
40 supporters
Login
JJ Mego
Posts
⚠️Facebook Bug Wipes Out Legit Groups! W ...

⚠️Facebook Bug Wipes Out Legit Groups! What You Need to Know!

Dec 30, 2024

Updated 6/24/25

Facebook Bug Wipes Out Legit Groups. What You Need to Know!

Heads up, Referral World: if you’re part of any groups - referrals or otherwise - you might’ve noticed something strange overnight. That’s because early this morning, Facebook began mass-removing hundreds — possibly thousands — of active, legitimate groups with no warning or clear explanation.

My group, Easy Paying Referral Apps, was included in the shutdowns. Similar to when my group of the same name was shut down erroneously last year, I created a new group to replace it. This time, though, the new group was shut down within 30 minutes of creation. Two groups, both 100% compliant, both wiped out.
Generated image
What’s Going On

Based on widespread reports from Reddit and group admins worldwide, it appears Facebook’s moderation system - likely AI-driven - swept across global communities and took down various groups, most with no violations whatsoever (you can find one such Reddit post here).

We're not just talking about referral content. These takedowns hit groups focused on:

  • Education

  • Mental health and wellness

  • Parenting

  • Travel

  • Consumer scam awareness

  • Referral and rewards apps like ours

Multiple admins reported seeing 40+ unrelated groups removed in just hours — and that’s just one region. The best estimate right now? Hundreds - if not thousands - of groups were affected worldwide.

Breach Connections?

You may have noticed other recent Facebook-related security news:

  • A massive leak of 16  billion credentials (not just Facebook) was reported by TIME and Axios, though it’s a compilation of past breaches, not a new Facebook breach.

  • A hacker claiming to have 1.2  billion Facebook user records, as reported by TechRadar, but experts note inconsistencies suggesting it may be recycled or exaggerated data.

These are significant data and credential exposure issues, but there’s no clear evidence tying them to the group takedowns. Security breaches impact individual user privacy and account security. Still, this recent wave of group removals appears to be a separate problem rooted in Facebook’s automated moderation system, not a response to leaked data.

Hold Off on Group Posts or Changes

Admins across many groups are warning: "Avoid posting, updating, or creating groups for the next few days."

Even groups newly created or with their appeals approved have been either flagged again and removed, or not ACTUALLY restored. That includes mine. I received the notification below but my groups (old and new version) are still down.

If you still have one or more groups up:

  • Don't update your group name, description, or banner

  • Avoid link-heavy or high-engagement posts

  • Pause invites or promotional pushes

  • Wait before rebuilding if yours was deleted

This is likely a moderation algorithm error still in effect, so staying quiet now could help your group survive.

If Your Group Was Removed, here are steps you can take in the meantime:

  1. Submit an appeal from your Support Inbox
    Keep it calm and professional.

  2. Take screenshots
    Save any takedown notices, appeal decisions, and especially if Facebook claims your group was "restored" but it’s still gone.

  3. If you have Meta ad access, try Business Support Chat:
    ➡️ https://www.facebook.com/business/help

  4. Legal Rights form (for income/business-related groups):
    ➡️ https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/540977946302970

  5. Share your story on Reddit or other platforms. Visibility helps.

What Comes Next?

As frustrating as this is, it’s not our first time being hit. Back in September 2024, the same thing happened — and we rebuilt. Now it’s happened again… twice in 24 hours.

For now, I’m regrouping, staying quiet, and watching how Meta handles this.

If and when it’s safe to rebuild again, I’ll let you know — and we’ll do what we’ve always done: rally together and rise back up. You can check the current status of my referral group here.

If this happened to you too — or you know someone who lost a group — please email me at [email protected]. I’ll be tracking updates, appeals, and success stories for a follow-up post.

12/30/24 Announcement: After a 2-3 month hiatus, EASY PAYING REFERRAL APPS 🤑🤑🤑 is back! If you're already a member of the popular Facebook group, you can resume sharing your legit posts! And if you're not a member yet, join us! We frequently hold cash giveaways - examples here and here - and share fantastic signup and referral bonuses!

9/6 Update: Referral groups are under seige by FB! Yesterday, a number of prominent, legitimate groups were shut down out of nowhere. The groups went "POOF!" and disappeared as if they never existed. One of my groups was shut down - thankfully not EASY PAYING REFERRAL APPS) - as were several others.

We have recreated the groups and are working to build them back up. Please check out this Facebook post I created last night and asked everyone affected to comment with their new referral group links in the comments. Several group owners have already responded and included their group links. If you were affected, please add the link to your new referral group in the comments. And either way, please repost, share, and invite your FB friends to the groups. #WeWillRebuild #NowWeRebuild

9/3, 8:55 PM PDT update: Congratulations to RWN and FB group supporter Tara C., who won the giveaway! Tara listed me as her referrer, so I split the inviter bonus among the three group admins (Becca, Bentley, and Steven).

Stay tuned for the next giveaway, which will happen once EASY PAYING REFERRAL APPS reaches 3,000 members (we're already at nearly 2,400)!

My newest Facebook group, EASY PAYING REFERRAL APPS, surpassed 2,000 members! The group was created on 7/30 after Facebook erroneously shut down the original, wildly popular group with the same name.

EASY PAYING REFERRAL APPS is holding its third giveaway to celebrate this milestone, awarding up to $75! The winner will receive $50 cash! If you win and include who invited you in your entry, they'll also get $25 cash! Entering is easy! See my Facebook post here for entry info, and you can also follow and discuss the giveaway here, which offers tips on increasing your chances to win.

The entry period is now until Tuesday (9/3/24) at 5 PM PDT. Good luck!

*Meta is exempt from any responsibility and assumes no liability in connection with the promotion.

If you're on Oooh, you should join Oooh's EASY PAYING REFERRAL APPS! More info on Oooh and how you can get paid to run your own group here.

More Viral Referral World News:


Check out my profile, where you can follow me and find my latest posts! You can also follow me on FB (#1 and #2) Find more of my referrals at https://www.referralworldnews.com/referrals.

Enjoy this post?

Buy JJ Mego a coffee

More from JJ Mego

    Item 1 of 1
    PrivacyTermsReport
    Start your Buy Me a Coffee page