According to reports, Meta accused employees of improperly accessing user accounts, sometimes in exchange for bribes

According to a Wall Street Journal report on Thursday, Meta fired dozens of employees after accusing them of using an internal tool to gain unauthorised access to Facebook user accounts, with some of the activity allegedly taking place in exchange for bribes.

Some of the fired employees were contracted security guards at Meta’s facilities who allegedly used an internal Facebook tool called ‘Oops,’ which assists users who have forgotten their passwords or emails or have had their accounts hacked in regaining access to their accounts.

Employees are only permitted to use Oops, which stands for Online Operations, on a case-by-case basis to assist friends, family, business partners, and public figures in regaining access to their Facebook accounts by filling out a form.

However, the number of tasks handled by Oops increased from 28,270 in 2017 to 50,270 in 2020, a 56% increase that raised eyebrows among Meta executives, according to an internal document reviewed by the Journal.

An internal investigation revealed that some Meta employees were abusing Oops by collaborating with third parties to gain unauthorised access to accounts in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars.

Reva Mandelowitz, a security guard from Meta’s security contractor Allied Universal, was fired in February after the company discovered she had allegedly received thousands of dollars in bitcoin for resetting a handful of user accounts for hackers, according to the Journal.

In an interview, she told the Journal that the accusations were false, claiming that she requested 20 account resets for loved ones and was coerced by an unknown person to request more.

In July 2021, Meta fired Kendel Melbourne, another Allied Universal contractor, on fraud charges after he allegedly assisted third parties in gaining control of Instagram accounts while he was still employed by the company and even after he left.

He, like Mandelowitz, denied the allegations, claiming that he was not informed about how to use the Oops system.

According to an Allied Universal spokesperson, ” it takes seriously all reports of violations of our standards of conduct.

According to Andy Stone, a Meta spokesperson, hackers constantly target online platforms like Meta and that ” People should never buy or sell accounts or pay for an account recovery service because doing so violates our Terms.”

Stone emphasised that Meta employees who choose to access Oops are warned to be on the lookout for phishing scams and to avoid engaging with strangers who contact them to access their accounts.

Nonetheless, he stated that Meta updates their security measures on a regular basis and “will keep taking appropriate action against those involved in these kinds of schemes.”

The layoffs were announced at the same time that Meta laid off 11,000 employees across the company to cut costs.

According to reports, Meta accused employees of improperly accessing user accounts, sometimes in exchange for bribes

According to a Wall Street Journal report on Thursday, Meta fired dozens of employees after accusing them of using an internal tool to gain unauthorised access to Facebook user accounts, with some of the activity allegedly taking place in exchange for bribes.

Some of the fired employees were contracted security guards at Meta’s facilities who allegedly used an internal Facebook tool called ‘Oops,’ which assists users who have forgotten their passwords or emails or have had their accounts hacked in regaining access to their accounts.

Employees are only permitted to use Oops, which stands for Online Operations, on a case-by-case basis to assist friends, family, business partners, and public figures in regaining access to their Facebook accounts by filling out a form.

However, the number of tasks handled by Oops increased from 28,270 in 2017 to 50,270 in 2020, a 56% increase that raised eyebrows among Meta executives, according to an internal document reviewed by the Journal.

An internal investigation revealed that some Meta employees were abusing Oops by collaborating with third parties to gain unauthorised access to accounts in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars.

Reva Mandelowitz, a security guard from Meta’s security contractor Allied Universal, was fired in February after the company discovered she had allegedly received thousands of dollars in bitcoin for resetting a handful of user accounts for hackers, according to the Journal.

In an interview, she told the Journal that the accusations were false, claiming that she requested 20 account resets for loved ones and was coerced by an unknown person to request more.

In July 2021, Meta fired Kendel Melbourne, another Allied Universal contractor, on fraud charges after he allegedly assisted third parties in gaining control of Instagram accounts while he was still employed by the company and even after he left.

He, like Mandelowitz, denied the allegations, claiming that he was not informed about how to use the Oops system.

According to an Allied Universal spokesperson, ” it takes seriously all reports of violations of our standards of conduct.

According to Andy Stone, a Meta spokesperson, hackers constantly target online platforms like Meta and that ” People should never buy or sell accounts or pay for an account recovery service because doing so violates our Terms.”

Stone emphasised that Meta employees who choose to access Oops are warned to be on the lookout for phishing scams and to avoid engaging with strangers who contact them to access their accounts.

Nonetheless, he stated that Meta updates their security measures on a regular basis and “will keep taking appropriate action against those involved in these kinds of schemes.”

The layoffs were announced at the same time that Meta laid off 11,000 employees across the company to cut costs.