Instagram has been one of the largest parts of social media with a large amount of users. And when user base grows, so does the hacker and spam accounts that infect and corrupt these platforms. Instagram has had its fair of these parasites and become a breeding incubator for them. When this is the case, users should be informed about how to stay safe on this app and what potential threats they may face.
Fake Charities
We know that in our growing world, there are many charity organizations that helps kids, women, animals and such in need. And these organizations stay up by the donations made by benevolent people. However, because of the amount of donations they get, they have also become a target for the con artists.
These con artists make up fake accounts with the name of these organizations and ask you for your money, using your good conscious against you. If you are a benevolent person that wants to donate, you need to make sure that the organization you’re donating money to is in fact valid and a confirmed account by Instagram. Otherwise, we strongly suggest you stay away.
Fake Instagram Support Accounts
Another form of a con in Instagram is the fake support accounts. These accounts send you DMs that say your account is going to be banned, or insecure and that you should click the link given by them to confirm your account and you can even tell that it is fake by looking at the website address. Unless it starts with instagram.com, it is a con. These DMs may vary however essentially they are all similar. They want you to click the link they provide, enter your Instagram credentials to a fake Instagram website and as a result, they steal your account.
You can detect and distinguish these accounts even by checking out the mail address, as it already looks quite fake. You would never see a support team message sent by a mail address such as instagramsupportcenter@gmail.com. Sometimes, these scammers can be dumb enough to send you a DM while they are in your friend list, which you would obviously never be friends with Support Center.
What to Do
If you have an encounter with a possible con artist, you should report the user to Instagram to make them determine their fate. After a report, simply block the user, delete the DM and move on with your life. Their accounts will be removed once the actual support team is done reviewing.
