MS Ads - Appeal Case Closed: Suspension Upheld

Hi there,

I'm a new business and was attempting to set up a Microsft Ads account, using the email/domain as for all my other MS business accounts, when I was told I had violated the Terms of Use. I appealed and provided comment that I had simply updated the business information for Bing Places, and had only created the ads account.

Today I received an alarming email from the Trust and Safety Team saying the following:

Hello from Microsoft Advertising,

We have reviewed your appeal request of Manager Account G14xxxxxx and determined the account is in violation of the Microsoft Advertising Egregious Policy .

Egregious violations include:

• Obfuscation of advertiser or payer identity, to include providing inaccurate identity information or documentation
• Use of the service to facilitate illegal practices or content.
• This includes promoting illegal products or services.
• Malicious software codes (e.g., malware, phishing, scareware, ransomware, pirated software).
• Any landing page or downloadable content which removes user control.
• Ad content which obfuscates the intention or functionality of any downloaded product or provided service.
• Circumventing or evading system service safeguards or monitoring.
• Any content or action designed to facilitate gaining unauthorized access to any user, advertiser, or data, or manipulate the Microsoft Advertising service.
• Deceptive or obfuscated content, cloaking, or spoofing.
• Impersonation, manipulation or deceptive media, or deceptive use of name or brand to imply endorsement.
• Excessive collection of personal information unnecessary to fulfill ad promise.
• Emotionally manipulative or coercive content.
• Attempting to circumvent our account suspension or other measures intended to enforce our policies or terms by creating a new advertiser account or Manager Account.

Additional Details:

Per Microsoft Advertising Terms of Use and Policies that you agreed to when using our product and service, we have suspended all ads, and access to all Accounts for all users within your Manager Account. 

The thing is hadn't even gotten to the stage of creating my first ad on the platform. The promotion would have been for the garden, which is open by appointment, i.e. people pay $10 to walk around it, and we're in the process of setting up a side venture selling imported French glasshouses but that wasn't going to be part of the ad as I'm still building that part of the website, see here: <removed by Moderator>

So, I'm really stumped by the suggested violations as 1) no ad or content had been created, 2) promoting our garden in NZ only isn't malicious software or illegal products, 3) we don't have a landing page as suggested, we hosting via Huspot, and 4) if logging in to appeal is an attempt to circumvent suspension then I really have no clue what I'd done wrong.

Any help greatly appreciated, this feels like something has gone awry, but as said I simply trying to create an ad account.

Kind regards

Ben