Tim Black Photography Battles Social Media Hack, Urges Public Support as Identity Theft Investigation Unfolds

UPDATE : Tim Black just sent me this message , Hours after you posted our story, we received word from Meta that we were reactivated. I spoke with the representative from the Ohio Law Firm who said he spoke directly with Melanie Miller to verify our identity. We were honestly not expecting a positive outcome to our situation. Truthfully, we probably receive more business from our Facebook page than we do our website, so for us, this was an income issue for our family. Thank you so much to Representative Melanie Miller for her swift response to our situation and helping us to resolve this issue!

Tim Black Photography Battles Social Media Hack, Urges Public Support as Identity Theft Investigation Unfolds

ASHLAND, OH – A local photography business known for capturing life’s most meaningful moments is now facing one of its most distressing challenges—an alleged cyberattack that resulted in the suspension of its social media presence and potential reputational damage.

On Friday, June 27, Tim Black Photography discovered that its Instagram and Facebook accounts—along with personal accounts connected to the business—had been abruptly suspended by Meta. According to owner Tim Black, attempts to log in were met with a notification that the accounts had violated Meta’s community standards.

The business immediately filed an appeal with Meta. But within less than an hour, the appeal was denied without explanation.

Shortly after the suspension, a close family member informed the Blacks that they had briefly seen disturbing and racist content posted under the Tim Black Photography name. The posts, they said, vanished almost as quickly as they appeared—removed from view before screenshots could be captured.

“We were shocked and heartbroken,” Tim Black said. “Anyone who knows us knows we would never post anything like that. Our values are the exact opposite.”

Tim Black Photography suspects the accounts were hijacked by a third party—potentially an AI bot or individual who gained access during a recent massive cybersecurity incident in which more than 16 billion passwords were reportedly exposed worldwide.

In an effort to both recover the lost accounts and safeguard their professional reputation, the business reached out to the cybersecurity experts at Hacked.com. After reviewing the situation, an account specialist informed the Blacks that they were likely victims of identity theft and recommended they escalate the issue to their elected officials.

Although initially hesitant, they took the advice seriously. Tim Black Photography contacted Congressman Jim Jordan, U.S. Senators Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted, Ohio Representative Melanie Miller, Ohio State Senator Mark J. Romanchuk, and also filed an official identity theft claim with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.

To their surprise, Rep. Melanie Miller responded within the hour and provided direct contact information for the Ohio law firm representing Meta. Tim Black Photography is now working with a representative from that firm who has promised a human review of the case.

“While nothing is guaranteed, we are hopeful that this will lead to a fair and thorough investigation,” Black said.

As the business works to resolve the issue, Tim Black Photography wants to reassure the public and its loyal clientele that it is still fully operational. Although the company’s social media presence is currently offline, services remain uninterrupted and can be accessed through the website: www.timblackphotography.com.

“We’re still here, and we’re still creating,” Black emphasized. “We are deeply sorry if anyone was hurt or alarmed by what may have been posted under our name. It wasn’t us, and we will do everything we can to make this right.”

The business has also announced a temporary pause on its youth camera giveaway, originally scheduled to be announced on Monday, as all entries were stored on the compromised accounts.

Clients and community members needing to reach the business are encouraged to do so directly: