Lodi animal rescue can't get Facebook to return hijacked page | Call Kurtis Investigates

LODI — A Lodi animal rescue and adoption agency said someone hijacked their Facebook page and is using it to rip people off.

Administrators for the Animal Friends Connection Humane Society reached out to CBS13 and the Call Kurtis consumer investigative team to look into the break-in.

This matter brings to the surface an issue we exposed more than a year ago. When you have a problem with Facebook, it's next to impossible to get it fixed.

For 34 years, Patricia Sherman has operated the Animal Friends Connection Humane Society in Lodi. Through the years, the agency has placed 20,000 animals into loving homes, in large part because of their Facebook posts about adoptable pets and fundraisers to their 10,000 followers.

"It's a labor of love," Sherman said. "And they all deserve a loving home and family."

However, in June, a hacker locked her out of the nonprofit's Facebook page.

"Oh my God," she said. "We've got to try and get it back."

Someone is posting an ad on the page for puppies, demanding deposits upfront, which the agency doesn't do. After repeated attempts, Sherman said no one from Facebook and parent company Meta is helping her to regain access to her page.

"We do feel like we've been ignored," Sherman added. "It's like we don't matter. And the animals don't matter."

"It's not the first time that I've heard that Meta is unresponsive," Nick Wolny of CNET said. He added that anyone with a social media page should realize it could vanish one day for a reason out of control.

"You've got a spot on this digital land, so to speak, and your access to this digital land may change at any time," Wolny said.

But starting a new Facebook page requires finding followers again, which can take years to build.

"It is a tragic loss," Sherman said.

CBS13 contacted Facebook for help with the nonprofit's account. Facebook never responded to us.

"Feel sad that Facebook just doesn't seem to, hate to say, care enough," Sherman said. "It's tied our hands. We're really not able to function very well without our Facebook."

Sherman posted a warning about the scam on the agency's official website and is now trying to find a new way to get the word out about fosters, adoptable pets and fundraisers. She says this has nearly destroyed the 34-year-old nonprofit, which has only sold half of the tickets they normally sell for their upcoming fundraiser dinner on October 5.

"We've really been violated," she said. "They've tied our hands behind our back. They're not letting us continue to help any of these animals on there. It's such a, it's just a tragedy."

You can access "Download your information" under the "Your information and permissions" tab in Accounts Center or through your Facebook settings .