How to spot fake instagram accounts
5 Ways to Spot & Remove Fake Instagram Accounts
Instagram Tips & Resources
By Jasmine Roberts
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Updated on December 16, 2022
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5 minute read
Spot em’ and block em’ 🙅🏾♀️
Published December 16, 2022
Whether it's a spammy bio or an eerily similar username to an account you already follow, there are tons of fake Instagram accounts popping up every day.
And while Instagram frequently removes bots and fake accounts, hundreds still slip through the cracks.
So, how can you tell which accounts are real and which are fake?
We're sharing five red flags to look out for when trying to identify a fake Instagram account — plus, how to block it when you do.
And no, we aren't talking about finstas — that's a whole different story.
How to Spot Fake Instagram AccountsFrom scammers to bots, here are five ways to sniff out fake Instagram accounts:
Inconsistent (Or Copied) Bio
Spammy DMs
Random Comments on Posts
Offers Money or Promotes a Product/Service
Follows A Lot of Accounts
Red Flag #1: Inconsistent (Or Copied) Bio
Fake Instagram accounts will often copy their bio from a real one — with a few changes and inconsistencies.
Pay attention to the characters in their username. There’s usually an extra letter, number, or symbol added to the bio — like this account that impersonated Mahdi Woodard:
In other cases, they may not have a bio at all:
TIP: Another telltale sign that an account is fake? If the bio relies heavily on emojis, hashtags, or sounds like a machine wrote it.
FYI: Later is an official Instagram partner, meaning using our app has Instagram’s stamp of approval. Easily plan and schedule your content with Later's Instagram Scheduler:
Red Flag #2: Spammy DMs
Fake Instagram accounts will often slide into your DMs pretending to be a reputable brand.
They'll send you a generic message, and will encourage you to either visit another website or DM someone else with your information:
These accounts typically offer sexual or explicit content, crypto schemes, cash sales, brand partnerships, or even retail scams in their bio:
TIP: When an account DMs you, look at its profile.
Check how often the account is posting content (and if they reuse the same caption). A fake profile will often post all of its content at once — if it even has any.
If an account frequently leaves comments unrelated to the content of your post (or random emojis), they're likely fake.
If you’re still unsure, click through to their profile and check the comments on their posts to see who’s engaging with the account.
Ask yourself if the comments on their posts seem authentic. Are they selling or promoting something? Are they repetitive or using all caps?
TIP: Check for comments that promise easy ways to pay off debt, use different fonts, or ask you to DM them.
Red Flag #4: Offers Money or Promotes a Product/Service
Fake Instagram accounts will often offer users the opportunity to make quick cash or win free products.
They'll lure you in to get your personal information and then potentially hack you:
TIP: Sometimes, these accounts will pose as a reputable brand to gain your trust (especially if the brand is running a giveaway or contest).
Double-check our tips before you engage with them.
Red Flag #5: Follows A Lot of Accounts
A fake Instagram account needs followers to seem legitimate.
And most will use the outdated #followforfollow method in an attempt to get people to follow them back.
If you come across an account that has a small number of followers but a large following, it’s likely fake:
TIP: Compare the number of accounts it’s following, the number of followers it has, and the number of posts its posted.
How to Block a Fake Instagram AccountSo, now that you’ve learned how to spot them, the question is how can you protect your account and block the fake ones?
Here are two main ways to block a fake account on Instagram:
Block and Report Them via Their Profile
Block and Report Them via DMs
#1: Block and Report Them via Their Profile
If a fake Instagram account has left a comment on your post, first click on their profile:
Then select the three dots in the top right corner of their profile, and tap "Block":
You'll then be prompted to either:
If you'd like to report them, this is also the best time to do so.
#2: Block and Report Them Via DMs
When a fake account sends you a DM, it'll usually appear in the Requests tab in your Inbox.
Click on the message from the account, and you'll be prompted to either block, delete, or accept their request:
Similar to blocking them via their profile, tap "Block", and then "Block account":
You'll also be able to choose whether you'd like to block other accounts they may have/create, and report them.
TIP: Instagram has additional features that'll allow you to restrict who can message you and filter certain phrases or words from appearing in your comments.
Engaging with fake Instagram accounts can leave your content vulnerable to spam, coercion, and content theft.
And with these tips, you'll not only be able to spot them, but you can block them too. So be mindful.
ICYMI: Later is a social media management tool trusted by over 4M+ brands, creators, and social media managers.
Sign up for free to plan and automatically publish your social media posts today:
About the Author
Jasmine Roberts
Jasmine is a Toronto-based Content Marketing Specialist. She's a massive pop culture lover who can be found debating the nuances of Star Wars characters. Join her on the dark side of the force — @JazShanelle
Plan, schedule, and automatically publish your social media posts with Later.
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All Rights Reserved.
8 Ways to Spot Fake Instagram Accounts in 2022—and What to Do
It’s not always easy to identify fake Instagram accounts, but these expert tips will help protect you from scammers
RD.com, getty images
Beware of fake Instagram accounts
Instagram may be full of pretty pictures, but it has a dark underbelly. While you’re scrolling past photos of stunning homes, smiling families and cool products, scammers are lurking in the shadows and looking for their next victim. Yes, they might try to hack your Instagram account, but they also have other Instagram scams at their disposal. So if you get a strange DM from a “friend” in need or an overly interested celebrity, your Spidey senses should start tingling because in both cases, you’ve probably encountered scammers on fake Instagram accounts.
“Fake Instagram accounts continue to be on the rise and are affecting the everyday consumer,” says Caroline Wong, a security expert and Cobalt’s chief strategy officer.
They increasingly trick people into buying fake products, sending money for fake causes and more, and these online scams are incredibly convincing.
What are the different types of fake Instagram accounts?
There are two types of popular fake Instagram accounts: catfish accounts and bot accounts. With catfishing, a scammer pretends to be someone they’re not. Bot accounts are exactly what they sound like—accounts run by AI programs (aka bots), kind of like mini armies working on behalf of the scammer.
While they each have some distinctive red flags, the motivations of the scammers who run them tend to be similar: to trick you into sending money or to get your personal details, which will allow them to steal your identity and/or hack your financial accounts. Knowing how to spot these fakers can prevent you from getting hacked on Instagram or otherwise scammed.
Fake accounts can be hard to spot, but these tips will show you exactly what to look out for. Once you’re up to speed, find out how to recover a hacked Facebook account.
Get Reader’s Digest’s Read Up newsletter for more tech, travel, humor, cleaning and fun facts all week long.
RD.com, getty images (5)
The username doesn’t match
One of the best ways to spot a fake celebrity profile? Take a closer look at the account’s username. Typically, the username will be the name of the person or a profile name they are known to use on multiple platforms. Check what the person is using on other platforms to make sure the username makes sense. For example, Ryan Reynolds uses VancityReynolds across all of his social accounts. So, if you came across a Ryan Reynolds account and the account name was james1234, that would be a sure sign it was a fake. This tip can help you spot LinkedIn scams as well.
It’s important to note, however, that some Instagram users have started making backup accounts with the word backup at the end of their username.
They do this in case their main account gets banned, they get put in Instagram jail or their account is accidentally deleted. If you see an account like this, it’s not an automatic sign the account is fake—it’s just a sign that it’s not the main account.
Next, find out how to tell if someone screenshots your Instagram story.
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The photos are suspect
Photos are a big clue. For starters, see if the person in the profile photo also appears in the account’s other photos. If they are different, that could be a sign of a fake Instagram account. You would think a scammer would be smarter than this, but many times they’re not. They often make accounts like this quickly, scam someone and then delete the entire account, so there’s little evidence it ever existed.
Additionally, you should be wary of profiles sporting stock photos, according to Wong. Learn how to do a reverse image search on your iPhone to find out if the photo originated on a stock site.
Also check to see if any of the account’s photos are tagged. Most people will tag friends or family in group shots when the account is real. If they don’t, it could be a red flag.
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The account has too few or too many followers
OK, many of us don’t have a ton of Instagram followers, but most of us have some. An account with only a few followers is a red flag, says Wong. An even bigger flag is if the account is new and already follows thousands of people. Some of the smarter scammers buy fake Instagram followers to beef up their count to look more legit. So even if the number looks good, you still need to be wary. Pro tip: If you really can’t tell, use inBeat’s fake follower tool to see if an account’s followers are real or bots.
RD.com, getty images
The bio feels off
If a bio gives you a spammy vibe, it’s probably a fake account (and that’s true on Facebook too).
Some things to look for include instructions to like a different account, listing just emojis in the bio or not having anything in the bio at all. Wong also says generic bios are a big sign of fake Instagram accounts. Here are a few examples that should give you pause:
- Click link in bio to learn how to make six figures a week.
- This profile is for following. Follow our main profile here: tinylink129232.com
- Autumn is amazing.
- Blessed.
RD.com, getty images (2)
A celebrity slides into your DMs
Scam artists often use duped celebrity accounts to fool people. And we’re sorry to break the news to you, but that celeb who’s reached out to you in your DMs is probably a scammer—especially if they say they’ve lost their wallet and need to borrow some money. No matter how real it may look, celebrities almost never contact people through direct messages on Instagram.
Even if they did contact you, they certainly wouldn’t be asking for money and you’re most likely being targeted for an Instagram scam.
Spotting this one is pretty easy. Always look to see if the celebrity account is verified before responding. No verification, no celebrity. Here are more ways to identify a scammer.
RD.com, Getty Images
The faker pretends to be a friend
Sometimes, the scammer uses the opposite tactic and tries to impersonate someone you know. “The first step in identifying a fake Instagram account is to verify the source of information and [the person’s] identity,” says Wong. “Ask yourself: Did a close family member or friend recently join the platform or make a new account? Or is this a poser? If you’re unsure, reach out via a separate channel to confirm.”
Wong says that social engineering—i.e., phishing links and requests from close family and friends—is a common tactic used by cybercriminals to lower your defenses and exploit your personal information.
It’s always important to conduct a thorough evaluation of the account and do your due diligence before sharing personal details. “If you receive a direct-message request from anyone requesting your personal or financial information, pick up the phone or send an email to the source to confirm,” advises Wong.
RD.com, Getty Images
The messages are aggressive
You’ve probably experienced this one. The faker sends you a DM saying they want to get to know you better right now, under the guise of becoming a friend or romantic partner. They may also shower you with over-the-top compliments. Often, scammers on these profiles declare that you are the best-looking person in the world and say they love you. These tactics are meant to seem endearing, and sometimes these romance scams work when the DMs land in the inbox of someone who is lonely and feeling particularly vulnerable.
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The person makes an urgent request
“Another key aspect to look out for in potential fraudulent accounts or direct messages is the sense of urgency,” says Wong. “Many times, scammers take advantage of breaking news, such as a natural disaster, by posing as a donation or support site. [They may also say they’re] a shopping website that needs personal info and money for shipping purposes.”
They may even pretend to be someone you know and claim that they’re in jail and need bail or they’re stuck on the side of the road and need gas money. Don’t give in to the urgency. Check to make sure the account is real before you take action, and if the person might be someone you know, reach out to them via text.
RD.com, Getty Images
How to report a fake Instagram account
Reporting fake Instagram accounts is an important way to fight back against scammers—and not just to protect yourself from financial theft and identity theft but also to help others.
First, report the account to Instagram:
- Go to the profile.
- Tap on the menu icon.
- Tap Report.
- Tap Report Account.
- Follow the instructions on the screen, and choose “It’s Pretending to Be Someone Else.” (Unfortunately, this is the best option, even though it doesn’t fit every fake account scenario.)
- Select who the account is impersonating.
- Tap Submit Report.
You can also report individual posts:
- Tap the menu icon on one of the posts.
- Tap Report.
- Choose Intellectual Property Violation if it is a photo stolen from another account. For other posts, select Scam or Fraud.
If someone is impersonating you on Instagram with a fake account, you can report them by filling out this form. If you don’t have an Instagram account, you’ll need to fill out this form instead.
RD.
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What to do if you’ve been scammed on Instagram
If the scammer steals money from you or if you feel like they may be trying to steal money or gain personal information, contact your local police department. Cybercrime laws vary from state to state, so see what applies to your area and specific situation. You can also file a report with the FBI.
If your identity was stolen, contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) online at IdentityTheft.gov or by phone at 1-877-438-4338. And don’t wait, because the more time that scammers have your information, the more damage they can do.
Now that you know how to spot fake Instagram accounts, find out which Facebook Marketplace scams to watch out for.
Source:
Originally Published: November 16, 2022
Alina Bradford
Alina Bradford is a technology and internet safety and security expert for SafeWise.
com and has contributed her insights to dozens of national publications, both in print and online. Her goal is to make safety and security gadgets less mystifying, one article at a time.
How to identify a fake Instagram account and how to block it
Many girls check their boyfriends for allegiance using fake Instagram profiles that are difficult to distinguish from real accounts. What to look for in order to identify a fake page, and how to protect yourself from fakes, the author of Medialeaks figured out.
How to distinguish a fake account from a real one
To check the relationship with a young man, many girls go to the trick - they create or buy fake social media accounts and try to start a conversation with boyfriends on behalf of a pretty stranger. It is not easy to make a fake realistic, it is only more difficult to distinguish a well-designed fake. nine0003
Tiktoker nexllery shared with her followers the basic rules for maintaining a fake Instagram account, based on which a fake profile can be calculated.
The author of the tutorial advised to fill the page with photos of girls whose appearance does not have catchy details - for example, hair dyed in bright colors.
Do not say that you are from the same city (suddenly offer to meet), - advises the user of tiktok.
Also, the tiktoker recommended not to subscribe to her real account and to the profiles of her friends, as this could link the fake with the owner. nine0003
Fake accounts often use several pictures where the face is visible, while the rest hide it in the shade, cover it with hair or post a photo from the back. The most cunning owners of fake profiles take frames from network users who publish pictures specifically for fake pages.
Usually, the set of photos for fakes includes pictures typical for Instagram of many girls.
Selfies, shots from the fitting room, a picture with a large soft toy and a photo in the mirror. An example of such a kit can be seen in the account of the tiktoker __s.berry.s__.
Tiktoker victoriamilonkova shared a life hack that will help you recognize a fake account with real footage. The author of the video suggested using the search by photo. According to her, it is necessary to check the pictures through Yandex, as it gives more results about Russian-language resources.
Sometimes girls use fakes not to check boyfriends, but to arouse jealousy in former or future boyfriends. Tiktokersha mona_user created a fake guy account on instagram so that users of the social network could tag him in stories.
Girls, specially created a fake account for you.
You will say that this is your boyfriend, I will respond to your stories, make fake correspondence. Photos are updated every day, as well as stories.
It is easier to figure out a fake young man - due to the fact that the guys do not share their photos to create fakes, the authors have to take frames from the Web, in which the face is most often not visible. Another "red flag" is a large number of girls in the readers and a small number of subscriptions. nine0003
Signs of a fake account:
- many photos where the face is not visible;
- few subscribers;
- image without bright details;
- subscription to your girlfriend or her friends;
- the interlocutor's refusal to tell where she lives;
- coincidence of photos in the accounts of different girls when searching through Yandex.
Pictures.
How to protect yourself from fakes
Tiktoker _m_a_r_i_k_eslicho told how to block fake accounts on Instagram that belong to one person at a time. nine0003
When any account is blocked, all accounts linked to the same number or e-mail are automatically blocked. Girls, we urgently delete the left accounts, otherwise we will burn in any way.
First of all, you need to go to the profile you are going to block and click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the screen.
How to ban a person on InstagramA menu will appear below, in which you should select "Block" and click the "*nickname* and new accounts of this user" button. nine0003 How to ban a person on Instagram
Such a ban system will help close your profile from other fake accounts of the same person, no matter when they were created - before or after blocking.
This function will also let you know if the user had other profiles that you did not know about.
If yes, then in the "Banned Accounts" section, the icon of the banned person will have a gray "shadow".
You may not see the nickname of the additional profile, but you can be sure that the owner of the fakes will not disturb you, since Instagram will automatically block new accounts of this person for you. However, if the owner of a fake account is your girlfriend, then it will probably not be possible to avoid a showdown. nine0003
Many netizens criticize the idea of checking a guy's fidelity through a fake social media account. This is probably why they tell you how to detect a fake and how to block it.
Previously, Medialeaks talked about three ways to check if you got an Instagram shadowban.
In another article by Medialeaks, you can find out how the fake story of Dasha Koreika confused the Internet users.
Many believed that the blogger regrets the change of sex. nine0003
How to spot a fake social media account?
In social networks, quite often you can find spam messages: “Do you want to earn a lot of money today?”, “Do you want to lose weight without getting up from the couch?” and many other appeals that promise people everything at once.
Usually such mailing is done from fake accounts. Such "users" must be identified and removed from them in time, since an attempt to communicate with them can lead to the loss of personal time, as well as really important information. This article will talk about how you can detect a fake account on such popular social networks as Facebook, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki and Instagram. nine0003
- How to spot a fake Facebook account?
- How to detect a fake VKontakte account?
- How to detect a fake account in the Odnoklassniki social network?
- How to spot a fake Instagram account?
There are no automated ways to find fake accounts on the Facebook social network, so you will have to manually identify fake users.
The first step is to check the main photo posted on the user page. To do this, just do the following:
- Go to the page of the verified user.
- Right-click on a person's photo and select "Find this image in Yandex" from the context menu.
- See the results that the search engine will provide.
As you can see in the example above, we have a well-known resident of the Comedy Club project, and it is unlikely that he would write personal messages to anyone advertising goods or offering to buy a unique simulator that increases muscle mass in a matter of days. Therefore, if someone writes from such an account, then there is a huge probability that this is done by a fake user. nine0003
You should also be suspicious of all Facebook profiles with the main photos of a model appearance and those accounts that were created very recently (the Timeline application will help you find out the date of registration of your Facebook account).
In the VKontakte social network, determining the age of a user's page is also an indirect way to determine whether it is fake or not.
This is done by identifying a unique user ID.
You can find a unique identifier (ID) by going to the user's page and looking at the address bar of the browser. Based on this information, you can determine the approximate date the account was created. For example, if the user ID has a value in the region of 100000000, this indicates that he opened an account in 2020. In the example above, the user ID is 300905727, indicating that the page was created fairly recently.
Next, you need to check the user's activity on his own VKontakte page. A real user in the album will always have a couple of personal photos added at different times. In addition, a real person reposts a wide variety of entries on different days, adds audio recordings and videos. The number of friends a real VKontakte user has varies from 20 to 500 people, but there are exceptions. If the number of friends of a suspicious user goes into the thousands, then most likely they are all cheated. nine0003
The Odnoklassniki social network is considered to be a platform for adults of sufficient age (those over 30), so fake accounts are especially common here.
Usually they are created by people who want to try on someone else's image, chat with their friends under an assumed name, advertise something without obviously damaging their own reputation.
In principle, checking an account in the Odnoklassniki social network for authenticity is carried out in much the same way as in other social networks: you need to check the presence of the main photo of the account on the Internet, look at the date of registration in the system, as well as the quality of filling in the user profile. nine0003
If a copy of the personal page of a real person was found on the Odnoklassniki social network, you can file a complaint against the author of the "fake". To do this, you will need to go to his profile, select the “Other actions” item in the menu and click on the “Complain” button, while indicating registration under a false name and surname as the reason for filing a complaint.
To identify a fake Instagram page, follow the steps below:
- Check user photos: fake accounts often post photos of beautiful people in sexy or simply attractive poses, in order to maximize the attention of other users (photos in the family circle fake accounts usually don't).
nine0052 - View photo upload dates - fake users post all their photos on the same day, and often even the same minute.
- The feed of fake accounts is spammed with various posts that do not carry any significant semantic load.
- Fake rarely responds to comments, as well as to the description of published photos.
A special case is fake accounts maintained by specially trained programs (bots). They are scrupulous about filling in all the data and are always active on the page entrusted to them. It is possible to calculate such fakes only when communicating in personal correspondence. nine0003
Summing up, it can be said that it is quite easy to identify fake accounts in social networks, but for this you need to follow at least elementary precautionary rules. You should never enter into an active dialogue with unfamiliar users, and even more so, accept any files from them or follow the links provided by them. And if you find a fake account, you must immediately report it to the administration of the social network through the form for sending a complaint or feedback.
