Pemberton Search and Rescue says Facebook page hijacked by unauthorized individual

Alanna Kelly · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 07, 2025 9:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

Pemberton Search and Rescue says it is urgently trying to regain entree to its Facebook leafage aft it was hijacked past year.

Pemberton SAR president David MacKenzie says not having entree poses a hazard to nationalist information if an unauthorized idiosyncratic posts mendacious oregon misleading accusation connected the account.

“We person perfectly nary power implicit immoderate of the postings oregon activity,” MacKenzie said, adding helium doesn't cognize the individuality of the idiosyncratic successful question.

The volunteer-based Pemberton SAR enactment has 40 members and helps rescue radical passim Pemberton and Lillooet successful B.C.'s Sea-to-Sky region.

There are 40 progressive members astatine Pemberton Search and Rescue, and the volunteer-based enactment besides operates a basal retired of Lillooet. (Alanna Kelly/CBC)

Now, they request assistance getting their Facebook leafage back, with MacKenzie saying they're getting nary effect oregon enactment from Facebook's genitor institution Meta.

“Our societal media is precise important to america due to the fact that it is our superior root of however we pass with the community.”

MacKenzie contacted Meta for help, but there’s been nary advancement since they reached retired a period ago.

“We've made an appeal. They said they would look into it. They were going to instrumentality a consciousness of urgency," MacKenzie said.

"It's been a period present and we've heard nothing."

The search-and-rescue manager reached retired to Meta for assistance a period ago. (Alanna Kelly/CBC)

CBC News reached retired to Meta via email for a effect and to spot if an probe was underway, but did not person a effect by work time.

“We've asked them to place that we are the morganatic proprietor of the level and let america access,” MacKenzie said.

A CBC News newsman reached retired to the leafage via Facebook Messenger.

An idiosyncratic responded and said “the Facebook is inactive afloat nether the power of the owner.”

MacKenzie is asking the idiosyncratic to bash the close happening and springiness the radical their Facebook leafage back.

Security suggestions from expert

When it comes to making definite an organization’s Facebook leafage stays secure, a University of B.C. information and privateness adept suggests aggregate radical having control, not conscionable 1 person.

Robert Xiao, an subordinate prof astatine UBC's machine subject school, says radical astatine the highest levels of enactment should person entree to the relationship oregon pages — and besides usage password managers.

WATCH | How to support yourself from cybersecurity threats:

“It’s the aforesaid arsenic losing your keys for your concern beforehand doorway — you decidedly person aggregate copies of that cardinal disposable and you marque definite the close radical person it,” Xiao said.

"Treat passwords successful a precise akin way."

Customer work for companies specified arsenic Meta tin besides beryllium challenging, helium explains.

“It's conscionable very, precise difficult, I think, to person lawsuit work astatine that scale,” Xiao said.

“They're not truly putting the resources into it.”

Xiao says it's precise hard for companies astatine the standard of Facebook to enactment overmuch resources into lawsuit service. (David Donnelly/CBC)

B.C. groups usage Facebook to communicate

There are 78 search-and-rescue groups successful British Columbia, with astir 3,200 volunteers, and galore of them usage Facebook to link with their communities.

Sandra Riches is the enforcement manager of B.C. AdventureSmart, a programme created by the British Columbia Search and Rescue Association, and said Facebook allows groups to stock fundraising accusation and search-and-rescue tasks.

“It's a large mode to link with the community,” Riches said. “It's truly important to support that transportation going and reply immoderate questions that the nationalist mightiness have.”

The mountains are starting to get snowy successful Pemberton successful aboriginal November, arsenic search-and-rescue members get acceptable for the upcoming wintertime rescue season. (Alanna Kelly/CBC)

Pemberton Mayor Mike Richman says the section search-and-rescue radical has been doing exceptional enactment successful the vale for galore years.

“They're precise highly regarded successful the search-and-rescue assemblage passim B.C.,” Richman said.

He explains however the country of Pemberton has stunning geography — but it presents galore types of risks.

“That means a batch of truly divers training, and our hunt and rescue for galore years has done a large job,” Richman said.

As wintertime upwind ramps up, truthful excessively does the fig of calls to Pemberton SAR.

“There are inactive tons of radical successful the backcountry hiking, tons of upland biking — but arsenic the snowfall has been falling, we're going to power to immoderate upland activities present beauteous quickly,” MacKenzie said.

He’s hopeful they tin get entree backmost to their Facebook page, and says helium doesn’t program connected creating a caller account.