I’m Locked Out of My Own Life: How MFA Turned an IT Pro Into a Digital Ghost

Here’s a plot twist for you: I, Ron Kulik, managing partner of safemode IT an IT company dedicated to solving tech issues and keeping others secure, managed to lock myself out of my own Facebook account. How? By activating multi-factor authentication (MFA) like a responsible adult… and promptly forgetting to save the initial one-time password (OTP). Irony, thy name is Ron.

It all started with a flash of professional inspiration. After years of telling other people to enable MFA on their Facebook account or better security, I decided it was time to practice what I preach. I set it up on my Facebook account, added ithe OTP code to my password manager (I use Keeper) and congratulated myself on being the poster child for online safety.

Then I closed the app, forgetting one teeny, tiny, critical detail: saving my recovery codes.

A few days later, I went to log in. Facebook asked for my OTP, and I confidently reached for my app—only to discover it wasn’t there. No app. No codes. No backup plan. I had locked myself out of my own account.

This is the kind of mistake that keeps IT professionals awake at night.

Now, here’s where the irony gets thicker: at safemode IT, we have checklists for clients that we follow like religion to avoid exactly these kinds of oopsies. From saving recovery codes to testing backups, we cross every “t” and dot every “i.” But when it came to my personal account? Let’s just say I didn’t apply the same disciplined process to myself.

I tried everything to get back in. Password reset? Denied—MFA was doing its job too well. Facebook support? About as helpful as a screen door on a submarine. Every avenue I tried led me right back to a dead end. FYI Facebook cannot reset MFA once enabled.

And so, my Facebook page now lives on as a ghostly digital monument to my past life. People tag me in photos, wish me happy birthday, and send me messages. Meanwhile, I’m out here, locked out of the party I paid for, staring in through the virtual window.

Lessons Learned (the Hard Way, So You Don’t Have To)

1. Save Your Recovery Codes. For the love of all thing's tech, don’t skip this step. Write them down, save them in a password manager like Keeper, or send them to your mom (but maybe not that last one).
2. Back Up Your MFA Setup. Most apps allow you to sync your codes to the cloud or a secondary device. Take advantage of it—because memory is fickle.
3. IT Pros Are Still Human. Even those of us who live and breathe technology aren’t immune to making rookie mistakes.

The Silver Lining

As much as I’d like to chalk this up as a purely embarrassing moment, it’s also a learning experience—one I now share with our clients. Sure, I might be the managing partner of an IT company, but even tech experts need a reminder that best practices aren’t just for other people.

The good news? At safemode IT, we’re meticulous about these things for our clients, ensuring they’re not just protected but also fully equipped to recover from tech mishaps. The checklists we use? Bulletproof. If only I’d followed them myself!

So, let my misstep be your cautionary tale. Enable MFA—it’s still one of the best things you can do for online security. Just make sure you don’t lock yourself out in the process.

Got a tech fail of your own? Let me know—I’d love the company in my ironic digital purgatory.

Until next time, keep your systems secure, your recovery codes close, and your checklists closer.

Ron