Recognising scams on Instagram
Instagram is a popular social media platform, but it is also a favourite target for scammers. On this page we explain how to recognise the most common Instagram scams and protect yourself from them.
How to recognise a trustworthy Instagram account?
- Account age and followers - Check how long the account has existed and whether it has genuine followers.
- Posting history - Trustworthy accounts have a consistent posting history over a longer period.
- Profile information - Genuine companies and influencers have a clear bio and often a link to an official website.
- The blue verification badge - Always make sure that the accounts of well-known brands and celebrities have the official blue verification badge.
- Quality of interaction - Check whether the account has genuine interaction with followers or only generic replies.
The most common scams on Instagram
- Fake giveaways and competitions - "Enter and win" scams that phish for personal details or followers.
- Phishing scams - Messages and links that lead to forged login pages to phish for account details.
- Romance scams - False expressions of romantic interest aimed at getting the victim to send money.
- Investment scams - "Get rich quick" offers, especially those related to cryptocurrencies.
- Counterfeit brands and products - Accounts selling counterfeit luxury goods that pose as genuine retailers.
- Support service scams - Fake accounts posing as official Instagram support.
- "Blue badge" scams - Scammers who promise to obtain the blue verification badge for a fee.
- Identity theft - Accounts that copy another user’s or a public figure’s profile.
- Influencer scams - False collaboration offers that phish for free products or money.
Recognising fake giveaways
Fake giveaways are one of the most common Instagram scams. These seemingly attractive competitions can be exposed easily once you know what to look for:
Examine the organiser account’s profile. Does it have genuine content and history? Is the prize disproportionate to the account’s size (e.g. a small account running an expensive giveaway)?
Be on your guard if the competition requires you to share personal information, pay entry fees, share content on your own account or send a message to several friends.
Scam giveaways often have grammar mistakes, poor translations or unprofessional text. Genuine brands use high-quality communication.
Be sceptical if the prize is especially valuable (a new iPhone, a holiday trip, a large sum of money) but entering has been made especially easy.
How to recognise phishing scams
Phishing scams try to obtain users’ Instagram account details using phishing messages. Here is how to recognise and avoid these scams:
- Alarm messages about problems with your account - "Your account is at risk" or "You have been reported for a copyright violation".
- A link to a login page - Scam messages often contain a link that looks like an Instagram page but is actually forged.
- Suspicious URLs - Check the URL carefully. Genuine Instagram links are always on the instagram.com domain.
- Pressure to act quickly - "You have 24 hours to confirm your account or it will be permanently deleted".
- Inauthentic Instagram logos - Scam messages may have a slightly altered Instagram logo or font.
Investment and cryptocurrency scams
Instagram is full of "investment gurus" and "cryptocurrency experts" who promise quick profits. Recognise these scams:
Be on your guard if someone promises unrealistic returns (e.g. "double your money in a week" or "10% daily return"). Legitimate investments do not offer guaranteed quick profits.
Scammers talk about "secret strategies" and "insider information" but never clearly explain how their system works.
Photos of luxury cars, villas and private jets are often borrowed, rented or edited. Use a reverse image search to check the origin of the images.
Legitimate cryptocurrency investments are made through well-known exchanges or platforms, never by sending money directly to someone’s private wallet.
Safe use of Instagram
- Use a strong password - Create a unique and strong password for your account and change it regularly.
- Enable two-step verification - This provides critical additional protection against account takeovers.
- Check the privacy settings - Consider making your account private and limit who can send you messages.
- Do not share personal information - Avoid sharing your address, phone number or parts of your personal identity code.
- Be suspicious of links - Never click suspicious links in messages or comments.
- Report suspicious accounts - Help the community by reporting scam accounts to Instagram.
What to do if you are scammed on Instagram?
If you suspect you have been targeted by a scam on Instagram, act quickly according to these instructions:
If you suspect your account is at risk, change your password immediately. Go to Instagram’s settings, then to Security and select "Password".
Report the scam account or message to Instagram. Click the three dots in the top right corner of the message or profile and select "Report". If your account has been hijacked, start the recovery only via the official address instagram.com/hacked.
Go to Settings and select "Security" > "Apps and websites". Remove access for all suspicious or unknown apps.
If you have paid a scammer, contact your bank or payment service immediately to reverse the payment. The faster you act, the better your chances of getting your money back.
If someone is impersonating you, you can file a report through Instagram at help.instagram.com by selecting "Someone is impersonating me".
Instagram’s special features and scam risks
Account takeover and ransom demand
One of the most serious Instagram scams is account takeover, in which the scammer gains your login details (often using a phishing page or a confirmation code), changes the password and email address and locks you out. After that, they can demand money to restore the account. Many people pay, because they do not want to lose years of photos and followers. Never share your login details or the six-digit code with anyone. Enable two-step verification (preferably app-based), so that the password alone is not enough to take over the account.
Account recovery scam
Once the account has been hijacked, a second scammer often appears, posing as "Meta support", an "ethical hacker" or a cybersecurity expert and promising to restore your account quickly. In reality, they take more money or the rest of your details. Such offers appear in the comments and private messages around posts about hijacked accounts. Restore the account only through Instagram’s and Meta’s official channels, never with the help of someone promising shortcuts.
Code scam disguised as email (mailto phishing)
A newer technique is a phishing message that imitates Instagram’s genuine "someone tried to log in to your account" message. The message’s "Report user" link does not lead to a website but opens the email program with a pre-filled message. If you reply, you reveal your details to the scammer and confirm that your email address works. Instagram never asks you to send account details or codes by email. If a message pressures you to act immediately, stop: urgency is the scammer’s classic trick.
- Visual emphasis - Instagram focuses on images and videos, which makes luxury-product and lifestyle scams especially effective.
- Influencer marketing - Scammers exploit fake "influencers" or imitate genuine influencers to create credibility.
- Stories feature - Stories posts that disappear within 24 hours attract scammers, because the evidence disappears quickly.
- DM messages - Private messages are a common channel for scams, because they cannot be reported or commented on publicly.
- Hashtag system - Scammers use popular hashtags to lure victims to scam posts.
- Link restrictions - Instagram limits the use of links, so scammers often use "links in bio" or shortened URLs whose destination is hard to recognise.