If there is a page on Facebook that is representing your company that you did not create, there are many approaches to having it removed, or for you to take ownership of it. This blog outlines those options and steps you can take to take ownership of the page, or try to have it taken down.

A Page is Created to Represent a Location

A business page may exist for your company even if you didn’t create it if, for example, when someone checks into a place that doesn’t already have a Page, an unmanaged Page is created to represent the location. If the business page is unclaimed, you will have an option to claim it.

If the page is unclaimed, you’ll see this icon  2015-05-08_14-16-52 at the top right of the page.

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To request to claim an unmanaged Page click the icon and select “Is this your business?” and follow the instructions.

Keep in mind that you may be asked to provide information to verify your relationship with the business, such a business phone number, business email or documents.

Please allow up to one week for your request to be reviewed. If your request is accepted, you’ll become an admin of the Page. You may also be able to merge the Page with any duplicate Pages that you have.

If the Page does not have this option, you should message the owner of the Page. This would be appropriate, if someone from the company created the page, who no longer works there, but has the login information for the account.

Merge a Duplicate Page

Another option that may be possible is merging a duplicate page, if you have two pages for your company and you have access to both of them. This can be done by following these steps:

1. Go to your page and click the Edit Page button at the top right corner.
2. From the menu in the left column, click Resources.
3. Click “Merge Duplicate Pages” then follow the onsite directions.

Report a Page

If someone outside of your company created a page that you would like taken down, you can report a page. If you need to report a page, go to the page that you are reporting and from the drop down menu at the top of the page click “Report Page.”

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From the next window, select the option that is applicable.

 

2015-04-26_13-40-41If you select “I think it’s an unauthorized use of my intellectual property,” you will be prompted to message the page owner.

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Claiming Facebook pages or deleting duplicate pages is an important step to managing your online presence. Having multiple pages can confuse customers and make it difficult to find you online, so be sure to take action if you have multiple accounts on any social media platform.