How To Report A Spam Instagram Account
The third scenario is when your article includes spam comments that are distracting and have nothing to do with the topic, such as promotions or product sales.
You may also report comments that break the rules, such as those that convey hate, harass others, or include pornographic content, among other things.
Install Antivirus Software On Your Devices
One strategy scammers like to use is accessing your devices and installing malware on them. Anytime you click on a suspicious link, you open the door for this to happen.
You can prevent malware infections by installing and running a reputable antivirus program on all your devices. If youre not sure which antivirus is right for you, check out our article on the top antivirus programs of 2021.
If you want to download one right now, we recommend Kaspersky. Why? Kaspersky is a highly regarded name in cybersecurity, and its antivirus software works on all devices. It also offers real-time protection and a host of other security features.
Only Buy From Verified Profiles
Before you buy anything on Instagram, check to make sure the account youre dealing with is verified. All legitimate brands on Instagram will take the time to complete this step.
You can easily do this by looking for the blue circle with a checkmark next to the account name.
Make sure you are only engaging with verified Instagram accounts.
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How To Report An Impersonation Account On Instagram
Instagram has changed the face of social media and online marketing. It is the go-to platform for people who want to work with influencers, check reviews, and enjoy the latest scoop on products. The platform currently houses more than one billion users including several business accounts. However, despite Instagrams tremendous work to prevent bad actors from misusing the platform, reports suggest that around 10 percent of all Instagram accounts could potentially be fake.
People open fake accounts for a variety of reasons including:
- To damage the reputation of the company
Impersonification means pretending to be someone you are not. While it is common for people to use pictures of known names or celebs, these days, individuals also copy brands or pretend to be associated with companies. It takes so little for people to imitate a brand, but the impact of Instagram fake accounts and products on brands can be severe.
Whatever the reason, as a business and an individual, it is important that you find and get fake Instagram accounts blocked.
In this article, well tell you how to report an impersonation account on Instagram:
Bogus Brand Collaboration Requests
Influencers on Instagram are nothing new. Theyre all trying to cash in by amassing followers and using their popularity to seal deals with brands. The goal? To get free stuff and get paid for promoting things to their followers.
Unfortunately for influencers, cybercriminals know how to entice them with the lure of a lucrative collaboration. Scammers often reach out to influencers with promises of deals.
If the influencer falls for the offer, they provide bank details to the scammer so they can receive their payment. Alternatively, they pay the fees associated with the collaboration .
Instead of a big payday or valuable product, however, all the influencer gets is a scam and a drained bank account.
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Report Scams To The Federal Government
You can report scams to the federal government. Your report may keep others from experiencing a scam. Government agencies use reports of scams to track scam patterns. They may even take legal action against a company or industry based on the reports. However, agencies dont follow up after you report, and can’t recover lost money.
Do not use the contact information included in scam messages. Use verified contact information in USA.gov’s federal agency directory to report other government imposters.
Report Disaster and Emergency Scams
Report coronavirus scams and other scams about disasters and emergencies.
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Use the National Center for Disaster Fraud’s web complaint form or call .
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Find more information on identifying and reporting coronavirus scams.
Report Most Common Scams
The Federal Trade Commission is the main agency that collects scam reports. Report the scam to the FTC online, or by phone at . The FTC accepts complaints about most scams, including these popular ones:
- Demands for you to send money
- Student loan or scholarship scams
- Prize, grants, and sweepstakes offers
The FTC also collects reports of identity theft. Report identity theft online at IdentityTheft.gov or by phone at .
Report Online and International Scams
Report Social Security or IRS Imposter Scams
Scammers often pretend to work for the Social Security Administration or Internal Revenue Service . Common signs include:
How To Stay Safe On Instagram
As a safety and security expert, Id like to think Im immune to all the social media scams out there. I have to admit, though, Ive been taken a time or two. Social media sites are hives for people trying to trick you with catfishing schemes, scamers, and data mining. Instagram is no exception. I did some research and found out how to stay safe on Instagram.
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How To Protect Yourself From Scammers
Here are three simple rules to follow to protect yourself from Instagram scammers in the future.
- Use strong passwords. Using strong passwords is incredibly important because a weak password can allow hackers to access your account in seconds. Use a long, complex password, or get a password manager, which can generate hard-to-crack login details. And if possible, set up two-factor authentication on your account for added protection.
- Be wary of direct messages. If you receive a message that asks you for personal information or to click a link, be on your guard! Check the page carefully for signs that its fraudulent. If the sender claims to be from a company or to represent a public figure, look up the official account and make sure its the same one that messaged you .
- Keep your Instagram profile private. Allowing anyone to view your page is always a risk because the more information a scammer has about you, the easier it is for them to target you with convincing phishing attacks or to steal your identity. We strongly advise that you set your profile to private and avoid putting personal information in your bio.
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Make Your Account Private
Your Instagram is set to public by default, allowing anyone to see your posts. To protect your privacy, set your account status to private. Then, only followers you approve can see your posts, make comments, find your posts via search, and send you direct messages.
Heres how to make your Instagram account private.
It is important to note that Instagram business accounts cannot be set to private.
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How To Avoid Instagram Scams: 9 Cybersecurity Tips
Now that youre equipped with the knowledge of how to report a scammer on Instagram, you might want to know how you can avoid them altogether. To reduce your chances of getting scammed, follow these nine cybersecurity tips:
Try Norton 360 with Lifelock.
How To Report A Post On Instagram
1. To report something as spam or inappropriate, tap the three-dotted symbol located at the top right of every Instagram post in your feed. For Story posts, you can find it at the bottom right.
3. Select the reason why you’re reporting the post. Your first two options are “It’s spam” and “It’s inappropriate.”
4. You may be prompted to provide additional details about why you’re reporting the post.
5. Instagram confirms it has received your report.
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When You Report Someone On Instagram Is It Anonymous
Yes, when you report on Instagram it is anonymous. The person you reported will not be notified that you reported them .
There is one known exception to this rule: if you report someone for copyright infringement or for stealing your intellectual property, Instagram may notify that person of your name and email. This is done for legal reasons, as they may want to contest your ownership of the content.
If Its An Individual Account
Reporting an impersonation account on Instagram might sound like a complicated process but it is quite easy and straightforward. It will only take you a few minutes to report fake Instagram accounts, but before you start make sure to have all the available information including the name and ID of the fake account and your details.
Heres how to how to report an impersonation account on Instagram:
- Open the profile thats impersonating you and click the three dots you see next to the persons account name.
- Choose Report Account
- Choose the third option Its Pretending to be Someone Else
- Now, you will be given the option to choose who the person or account is impersonating. Available options include: Me, Someone I Know, A Celebrity or Public Figure, or A Business or Organization.
- Choose the right option to proceed to the next page. This is very important because the next step will depend on what you have selected. For example, if you report on someone elses behalf, the page may ask you to ask the person to submit a report by using a different method if they do not have their own Instagram account.
- Those who do not have an Instagram account or those who are blocked by the impersonator can use this form to submit reports.
- The name on your ID must match the name on your profile. If it doesnt then it is important that you edit your profile and then upload the picture.
- Instagram usually replies within 24-48 hours via email.
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Howto Protect Yourself From Scammers
Theres nothing inherently wrong with people you dont know contacting you on Instagram. Social media is meant to bring people together, but the unfortunate side effect is that there will always be people trying to trick you.
The first rule is tonever give out personal information to strangers. You wouldnt do it with astranger on the street, so why do it with a stranger on the internet? Ifsomeone you have been talking with privately on Instagram starts asking formoney, you know something is wrong.
And if he threatensyou for not sending money, know that you can go to the police and receiveprotection. The fact of the matter is that the scammer is likely an ocean awaygiven that so many scammers are based in African nations, with Nigeria beingone of the biggest exporters of romance scammers.
The only way someone asking for money could be legitimate is if the person had a GoFundMe for a verifiable situation like a car accident or emergency, and this is something that could be traced through the crowdsourcing platform. But again, this would be a very rare exception. Its so much easier for these situations to be scams.
What Happens When You Report An Instagram Account
Whether its a fake account spamming your posts, inappropriate or hateful content, or stolen images, theres plenty you can report an account for on .
Instagram works to keep their platform appropriate, safe, and comfortable for all its users. Unfortunately, with over 1 billion active users, its hard to keep up. If you ever see content that clearly violates or makes you uncomfortable, you should report it.
Even if you have reported an account before, you may not have followed up on the result. Its often unclear what actually happens when you report an account on Instagram.
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Be Skeptical About Insane Returns On Your Investment
In almost every scammer interaction Ive seen, the scammer will promise life-changing returns on an investment. Theyll offer to help turn $4,000 into $10,000 in a week, promising to only take a $1,000 profit from the trade.
Even if these trades were real, which they are not, theyd be impossible to do without high levels of risk. That should be a huge red flag if someone is promising too good to be true returns paired with low levels of risk.
How To Report A Profile On Instagram
1. On the app, go to the user’s profile and tap the three dots located on the top right of the screen next to their name. On the browser, the three dots will be located near the username, directly to the right of the “Message” and “Follow” buttons.
2. Tap “Report” on the app and “Report User” in the browser.
3. Once again, select the reason why you’re reporting the profile.
4. A “Thank You” message for your report will appear once you’ve finished.
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What Happens When You Report A Fake Instagram Account
This is what happens when you report a fake account:
When you report an account, Instagram Support will review your claim to see if the account does not follow the Instagram Community Guidelines. Your information will not be shared with the user youre reporting. If the account is found to be violating a guideline, the account will be deleted.
The more reports which are placed the more it becomes a trend. The department will take action on trends, and take each report very seriously. Now, this does not mean that the more you report an Instagram account, the higher the chances are that Instagram will take action. But if a lot of people are reporting the account, it sends signals to Instagram that it is important, and can thus make them deal with it.
Only one report might not do the trick but if several people are reporting an account and it turns out that the account has in fact broken Instagrams guidelines, it will be deleted.
If you have notifications on, Instagram will give you a notification when they have proceeded with your report and taken action, for example, banned the account.
How Many Complaints Are Needed
How to report scammers on Instagram so that the account is blocked forever? Temporary blocking of the account is carried out on the basis of 1 complaint from the user of the social network, if the application indicated good reasons. Permanent blocking is possible only after checking the account by the administration of the social network, checks are most often initiated after 2-3 complaints about the account.
If a blocked user on Instagram succeeds in proving that his account is not involved in any fraudulent activities, the page will be unblocked by the administration and will continue to function further.
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Check If Their Communication Matches The Tone On Their Account
Another red flag to pay attention to is a mismatch in how the person is communicating via chat versus how they normally communicate in their comments, captions, and other media. I have a very specific tone and approach to my communication. Youll always see emojis and exclamation points. What Ive noticed from the hundreds of screenshots that have been sent to me is that scammers absolutely do not know how to copy my tone, and many of them seem to be non-native English speakers.
How Can You Tell If An Instagram Account Is Fake
Find out how to spot these scams and protect yourself with our guide to fake Instagram accounts and other social media scams.
6 min read
A favorite among influencers and brands, Instagram brought together nearly 1.3 billion monthly active users in 2021. With a predominantly young target audience, the social network created by Mike Krieger and Kevin Systromnand later acquired by Facebooknow tends to be rife with online scams. Find out how to spot these scams and protect yourself with our guide to fake Instagram accounts and other social media scams.
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