Ad account disabled due to unusual activity: secure first, then request a review
Treat this as a possible break-in until you have checked. An unusual-activity restriction points to signals around the account, not the ads: new logins, new people, new payment details, sudden spend. Requesting a review before you have secured the account is the most common way to lose it for good.
The 15-minute security sweep
- People. In Business settings, list every person and their role. Remove anyone you cannot name. Downgrade anyone who does not need admin.
- Partners and agencies. Remove partner access you no longer use.
- Passwords and two-factor. Every remaining admin changes their password and enables two-factor authentication today.
- Billing. Look for payment methods you did not add. Remove them.
- Campaigns. Look for campaigns, ad sets or ads you did not create, especially ones pointing to domains that are not yours. Pause them and keep screenshots.
- Connected apps and tokens. Revoke access for tools you no longer use.
If you found signs of a compromise
Say so in your review request, plainly: when you noticed, what you found, what you removed, and that two-factor is now on for all admins. Attach screenshots of the removed people and the paused campaigns. Meta's verification process may follow; complete it with documents that match the business name on the account.
If you found nothing
Then the flag is probably about legitimate but unusual change: a new card, a new country, a spend jump, a new domain, or a new admin who joined from a different location. State the change and the business reason for it in one sentence each. Keep it boring; boring is believable.
The one-paragraph review request
Factual and short. It uses the policy wording Account Quality shows you, which is the wording Meta's standards are written in.
"Ad account [ID] was restricted on [date]. Account Quality names [policy]. We have reviewed every active and recent ad and landing page against the Advertising Standards. [We found nothing that conflicts with that policy / We found X and removed it on date.] The account belongs to [legal business name], [website], [registration or tax ID if you have one]. We have completed verification where prompted. We request a review of this restriction. Attached: [business registration, ID, recent invoices, landing page screenshots]."
Afterwards
Keep two-factor on for everyone. Keep admin roles to the minimum. Add new payment methods and new admins a few days before you need them rather than on launch day, so changes are not stacked on a spend increase. The prevention guide has the full list.
Free: the 10-minute triage checklist, plus reminders on day 3, 7 and 14
The printable checklist, the review-request paragraph as a copy-and-paste file, and three timed emails that tell you what to do on day 3, 7 and 14 if you have heard nothing. The part of this process people get wrong is the waiting.
Email me for it Sign-up form coming shortly. Until then, email hello@adaccountrescue.com and it comes back by reply.
Frequently asked questions
Is 'unusual activity' the same as a policy violation?
Will I need to verify my identity?
Ad Account Recovery Kit · $49
The full process for each cause, the review-request wording built on the policy language Meta uses, an evidence checklist, a 14-day tracker, and the plan for keeping sales alive while you wait. Written for store owners and small agencies, not for people trying to game the system.
- Five review-request templates: policy violation, suspected compromise, payment failure, verification request, business-level restriction
- Evidence checklist per cause, with file naming reviewers can read
- The 14-day tracker: what to do on day 1, 3, 7 and 14 if you hear nothing, and when a second request is justified
- Keep-selling plan: email, SMS, Google Shopping, marketplaces and organic, ranked by how fast each restores revenue
- Hardening checklist for afterwards: admin roles, two-factor, payment hygiene, business and domain verification, pre-launch policy check
- When to stop: the signs an account is not coming back, and how to rebuild legitimately
Available shortly Checkout opens soon. Email hello@adaccountrescue.com to be told when.