Fix: “Message has been temporarily removed” on Facebook

Tim Vickers

Since 2010, Messenger has become one of the safest messaging apps. If your account gets hacked or Facebook suspects unusual traffic, it may flag all the communications from one’s profile.

Therefore, if you get a “Message has been temporarily removed because the sender’s account requires verification” notification on your Messenger, it means the platform is trying to shield you from suspected messages.

So, what should you do when messages from your Facebook friend are flagged as potential harm?

If you see a “message has been temporarily removed” notification, it means Facebook is already dealing with potential threats. These include identity theft or illegal access to your friend’s account. If the notification is from a close friend’s account, you should notify them first.

However, in some cases, the platform may flag messages even when there is no hacking. In order to restore all the messaging features, the Facebook account requires verification.

If that is the case, talk to the account owner and advise them to provide a form of identification.

Why would a Facebook account need verification?

Facebook requires verification

Like other major social media platforms, the threshold of opening and operating an account is minimal. One needs a working phone number and an email address. Unfortunately, the ease of opening a Facebook account doubles up as a drawback.

So, if Facebook suspects illegal activities in an account, it may require a form of identification from the owner. In most cases, a passport or official documents is all one needs to regain their account.

Besides proving ownership, the user benefits in different ways. One of the major benefits of proving the account’s ownership is in the verification process.

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Unlike Twitter, Facebook has a well-stipulated process of getting the blue tick, which involves providing official documents.

How to access messages that have been temporarily removed on Messenger

If the messages are restricted on your side, it means you can still see what the recipient wanted to say. Here are the possible routes to getting the restricted messages:

1. Inform the sender you are getting the message error

In some instances, the Facebook user may not know their Messenger is under a limit. If the sender’s account requires verification, you can access the sent message instantly once they confirm ownership.

However, if they do not have any form of identification, Facebook may not lift the limit, even after talking to the support team.

2. Request them to resend the message on another platform

Besides Messenger, there are tens of free messaging apps. If Facebook does not lift the ban, you can request the sender to use alternative apps to convey the message.

In most cases, having multiple messaging options helps in avoiding similar challenges. You can resume using Facebook when Facebook resolves the issue.

What to do if the sender did not send the removed message

facebook and messenger
Facebook and Messenger logos. Image: @alexbemore

If a hacker has taken over their account and they cannot access it, there are two things you can do.

1. Report the account to Facebook

In most cases, the platform flags account pending investigation. If you are confident that your friend did not send the message, you can help Facebook to complete the investigations faster.

If you are using Messenger on a browser, you can click the account and report it directly. However, if you access Messages through the native Messenger app, tap “view account” on the hacked account to report it.

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2. Secure your Facebook account

In most cases, hackers use your friends’ accounts to send links and unsolicited messages. If your friend did not send the message you received in your inbox, the chances that your account is potentially in danger are high. Therefore, you should add more security layers to your account.

First, you should change your password to a more secure one. There are many tips on creating a solid and memorable password. Regardless of how you create the new password, it should not be related to your account’s name.

Second, ‘clean’ your friends’ list. While Facebook has changed its policy on involving friends in verifying accounts (in case of forgotten passwords), accepting friend requests from unknown people jeopardizes your account’s security.

Conclusion

Removing messages pending account verification is one way Facebook protects other users from scams and inappropriate links.

However, the bot may get it wrong and flag a typical conversation between friends. In such a case, the sender must provide any form of identification to remove the “Message temporarily removed” restriction.

More Facebook advice

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