The scammers are clever on Instagram and many users fall for this deception. But there are ways to protect yourself and regain control if you've already been targeted by scammers.

Intimidation and false assistance

The criminals send a direct message from an apparent meta profile, often called “metaappelcenter”. The message accuses you of copyright infringement and offers you a form to correct the alleged infringement. You would have 48 hours to do this. If you do not cooperate, you will be threatened with having your account blocked.

But be careful : If you click on the link and enter your login details, they will go directly to the fraudsters.
This means that the password can be changed immediately and your Instagram account can be taken over. Some victims even report that they were subsequently blackmailed to regain access to their account.

First aid: what to do if you are a victim?

If you have fallen victim to such a trap, you have a number of options you can take:

  • Ignore blackmail attempts and pay nothing.
  • Report the incident to the police.
  • Inform your followers about your account takeover through other possible channels to warn them about similar scams.

Restoration

The following steps can help get your Instagram account back:

  • Check your email for messages from Instagram, especially messages from the address security@mail.instagram.com. Instagram will usually notify you of changes to your account.
  • If you didn't receive a notification, visit Instagram (@hacked) . You will find further instructions there.
  • If the above methods do not work, try having your account deleted. Report your profile as a fake account and ask friends and family to do the same.

Precautionary measures

You can protect your Instagram account with these simple security measures:

  • Choose a strong password and change it regularly.
  • Enable two-factor authentication.
  • Be skeptical of messages that seem suspicious and don't click on links carelessly.

This might also interest you:

Warning about advance payment fraud on Facebook: Recognize and avoid fake loan offers!
“He died in a car accident”: Warning about Facebook status posts about car accidents
Fraudulent scams: Fake parcel service providers and stolen credit card information


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Notes:
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