# I can't get in to Facebook **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 12, 2013, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-in-to-facebook/652737 "2013-03-12T18:23:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-in-to-facebook/652737/1 "2013-03-12T18:23:17Z")
So I followed a link to another page from Facebook, and now all of a sudden they want me to verify my identity. They want to send a code to my mobile device. Believe it or not, I don’t have a mobile phone. Otherwise I can “upload” a form of ID. I have no clue how to do this. I don’t have a scanner either. Is there anything I can do, or am I done with Facebook? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-in-to-facebook/652737/2 "2013-03-12T18:30:30Z")
I have a toolbar on IE with the facebook icon on it. I got that box too, that asks you to put in a phone number. When I click on the facebook icon on the IE toolbar that box goes away. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-in-to-facebook/652737/3 "2013-03-12T18:37:03Z")
Nope, I get the login page and then the Confirm Your Identity page. How come this wasn’t an issue before? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-in-to-facebook/652737/4 "2013-03-12T18:43:29Z")
Do see any really tiny text that says something like “Not at this time”? That’s how I get around it. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-in-to-facebook/652737/5 "2013-03-12T19:17:00Z")
No, nothing. Even the Help page is no help – they don’t respond directly to any questions, just refer you back to the Help page. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-in-to-facebook/652737/6 "2013-03-12T19:22:47Z")
That’s weird. I’ve always been able to get around it. I’d tell you exactly what I’m seeing, but I can’t bring up that screen on demand. It almost seems random. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-in-to-facebook/652737/7 "2013-03-12T19:34:51Z")
You have a box that says “add your number to help secure your account”? Below that box on the right in faint letters is says"not now". Click that. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-in-to-facebook/652737/8 "2013-03-12T19:42:12Z")
> [@Honey](#): > > Below that box on the right in faint letters is says"not now". Click that. Yeah, that’s what I was talking about. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-in-to-facebook/652737/9 "2013-03-12T20:03:56Z")
Nope, no “not now” option. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-in-to-facebook/652737/10 "2013-03-12T20:15:19Z")
It might be so faint that you can’t see it. Try mousing over the area a bit. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-in-to-facebook/652737/11 "2013-03-12T20:24:43Z")
Nope, nothing – just the big blue Continue button. Do they think everyone in the world has a mobile phone? I suppose it’s just me who doesn’t. ☹ Arggggh! ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-in-to-facebook/652737/12 "2013-03-12T20:35:26Z")
Hmm. When you have that box up you can still go up to the facebook header and click on your facebook name. It will bring you to your page. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-in-to-facebook/652737/13 "2013-03-12T20:49:40Z")
No, I’m logged out now. If I said I’d forgotten my password, they’d just think someone was trying to hack into my account, wouldn’t they? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-in-to-facebook/652737/14 "2013-03-12T21:00:00Z")
> [@](#): > > So **I followed a link to another page from Facebook,** and now all of a sudden they want me to verify my identity. Are you going to a non-Facebook page from within Facebook, and it’s asking you log in and give it more of your personal information? I’d advise against that. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-in-to-facebook/652737/15 "2013-03-12T21:07:32Z")
No, the new page was fine (I was going to [whitehouse.gov](http://whitehouse.gov) to sign a petition). And then when I went back to Facebook, I got this “We’ve received feedback that your account may not be real… Facebook does not allow accounts that pretend to be someone else…” I wasn’t pretending to be someone else! Why would you think that? Let me in already! ☹ ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-in-to-facebook/652737/16 "2013-03-12T21:14:39Z")
I just finished resolving this issue. After you type in the messed up looking words, you have to identify people in random pictures to prove your identity. It sounded sketchy, but I logged into one of actual fake acounts (for a pet) and saw that my primary account was not showing up in searches and none of my old comments were displaying. The fun part of identifying random pictures was how many people tag other people in random baby shots. All babies look the same, especially when somone tags their cousin that I know and I’m supposed to figure it out… ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-in-to-facebook/652737/17 "2013-03-12T21:29:01Z")
> [@FordTaurusSHO94](#): > > The fun part of identifying random pictures was how many people tag other people in random baby shots. All babies look the same, especially when somone tags their cousin that I know and I’m supposed to figure it out… At least your friends tag actual humans, I had to do the same thing while trying to log in while on holiday, and the pictures I had to identify as friends included a heap of shoes, a museum sign, and a blur with no distinguishing features. If you fail to identify the random junk, you can’t try again for something like 4 hours, I needed to send someone a message, and I’d had to pay for internet access… I was not pleased. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-in-to-facebook/652737/18 "2013-03-12T21:38:49Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > No, the new page was fine (I was going to [whitehouse.gov](http://whitehouse.gov) to sign a petition). And then when I went back to Facebook, I got this “We’ve received feedback that your account may not be real… Facebook does not allow accounts that pretend to be someone else…” I wasn’t pretending to be someone else! Why would you think that? Let me in already! ☹ There are all sorts of reasons why FB might suspect fraud or identify theft. If you wish to resolve it you’ll have to go through their hoops, but make sure that you’re on a legit FB page before you give any information.