Verizon Wireless has been forced to shut down its website and Facebook page for small business customers after a viral video of a company employee talking about using their phone to sell products to customers surfaced.
In the video, a man is seen talking to a customer and selling them a phone on Facebook.
The video has since been removed, but Verizon Wireless had not responded to CNBC’s request for comment.
“Our goal is to be the first and best place to find your best-selling business products,” a Verizon spokesperson told CNBC.
“We are sorry this happened, and we will continue to do everything we can to improve our online experience for our small business community.”
The post went up late Thursday, but was taken down by late Friday evening.
The message on the page, however, said it was “not a threat to business owners, and the message was removed immediately after it was posted,” the spokesperson said.
The Verizon spokesperson said the company would not be commenting on whether the website was taken offline for violating Facebook’s Community Standards, but that it had been removed “for violation of our Community Guidelines.”
The Verizon representative said it had taken down the website and the Facebook page after the video became public.
The post has been viewed over 9.4 million times.
The website had been available for two days, according to data compiled by Business Insider.
The company had not provided any explanation as to why the post was taken off the website.
The viral video, which went viral earlier this month, showed a man talking to customers and selling their phones on Facebook, where the customers can buy products like phones, TVs, games and even jewelry.
Verizon Wireless, which operates a handful of smaller stores in the United States, said the video was a hoax and that it was not affiliated with the company.
In response, Verizon launched a Twitter account to answer questions about the video and to offer tips for businesses on how to avoid getting scammed.
In a statement, Verizon said the viral video was taken “for personal gain.”
“The video was intended for a person to sell a phone to a consumer,” the company said.
“It was not intended to violate our Community Standards.
We took immediate action to remove the video.
The post was removed within 24 hours of posting.
The site has since returned to normal.”
The company did not immediately respond to CNBC request for clarification on why the site was taken.
The video had already been viewed more than 1 million times on the Verizon website.