Instagram is a social media platform that allows its broad base of users to share photos and videos. It is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms, which has amassed over 1.15 billion users since its launch in 2010. Nearly 95 million photos are shared every day on Instagram by its users.

Instagram is more popular among as it offers something unique and different to its users as compared to other social media sites. It attracts users from different walks of life. It is visually appealing to the travellers, acts as a self-validation and source of income for social media influencers, a platform to get in touch with friends and family for normal users, an enticing platform for photographers to showcase their talent.

On the flip side, its rising popularity is one of the reasons which make Instagram a lucrative target for hackers, malicious attackers and cybercriminals. There are a lot of ongoing scams that an attacker may indulge in to trick the users.

According to the BBC, as of January 2021, Instagram’s fraud and scam rate have increased by nearly 50% compared to last year.(Check) As Instagram’s popularity grows ten folds, it is necessary to be aware of various scams and frauds on Instagram and tackle them safely and circumspectly.

Scams and Frauds on Instagram

Phishing Scams

Phishing is a type of online scam where phishers or hackers send out fraudulent links from legitimate sources such as an Instagram direct message or via email. These links are created in a way that tricks the recipient into providing confidential personal information (username, password) on a fake login page of their website.

Once the phishers have gained access to this information, they can log in onto the recipient’s account and post or message inappropriate content or change the account password and lockout the recipient from his or her own account. In some cases, they even use the recipient’s account to further send phishing links containing malware to other users in the recipient’s followers list.

Read this article to know more about how Twitter was hacked last year using similar technique.

Fake Influencer Sponsors

The trend of becoming a social media influencer has brought with it a new type of online scam in the form of fake sponsors or brands. According to research conducted by Ghost data, nearly 20% of all posts about fashion products feature counterfeit goods, and more than 50,000 accounts promote and sell these knock-off products every day.

They approach the influencers posing as established brands offering exclusive discounts and advertising deals. Once the influencer accepts the offer, they are asked to share their personal and bank information on the pretence of being “paid” when in reality, the aim is to steal the influencer’s identity.

Romance scams

A romance scam is when the scammer will enter into an online romantic relationship with their victims. These scams are meticulously planned and can continue over long periods of time spanning over weeks, months or even years to earn the trust and faith of the victims. Once the victim is in the grip of the scammer, they begin to abuse their trust by asking for money to plan visits to meet face to face with the victim. However, there always seems to be a reason why the scammer was not able to make the trip.

Giveaway Scams

Instagram influencers often collaborate with other popular brands to conduct sponsored giveaways. These giveaways feature limited time offers on the brand’s products and services to a few lucky winners.

The scammers pose as the influencer and approach the unsuspecting followers, informing them that they have won giveaway contests, but in order to receive the prize, they need to pay a “shipping fee” or provide personal information that the scammers then use for illegitimate purposes.

Loan Scams

Cybercriminals send direct messages to users offering loans with great interest rates. All that one needs to do to secure the offer is pay a deposit. Once the funds have been transferred, both the loan offer and the scammer along with the money vanishes.

Fake Investment Scams

Fake Investment scams are basically dodgy scams that include getting rich faster or cash flipping. An Instagram user will use his Instagram account to influence you and try convincing you to invest in dodgy money-making schemes.

Their accounts seem like a bed of roses, and you may get an impression that they have gained wealth in a short period of time. These scammers sent you a link to their fake website, which may seem real and convince you to invest. Once you invest, they steal your money and disappear.

Job Scams

In these kinds of scams, an Instagram user is usually in a garb of a job agent who promises you lucrative job offers in the best of companies. They convince you to pay up a markup fee in return for a job and then disappear with the money.

In worst-case scenarios, they might even ask for personal documents like Passport, Driving license and other miscellaneous documents. Using these documents, the scamsters commit identity theft for their own nefarious purposes.

Credit Card Fraud

Credit card frauds are quite common nowadays. A cybercriminal often masquerading as an Instagram user sends an embedded link offering rewards and discounts on certain products.

If a user clicks on that embedded link, he is asked for a credit card or banking details, and on entering the details on that insecure link, the attacker steals all your personal credit card and bank details and makes online purchases for himself.

The following are the steps to avoid falling into the cyber trap of these cybercriminals.

Have Unique Passwords: Don’t reuse the same password on different social media platforms. Change your passwords regularly and make your passwords long and difficult to crack.

Don’t Click on Suspicious Links: If you get a suspicious link offering enticing offers and deals, avoid clicking on them as there is a high probability that the link is malicious and contain malware which leads to leaking of personal data.

Make Your Account Private: Change your account’s privacy setting and make it private to pry away intruders stealing personal information.

Check if Accounts are Verified: Instagram allows a user to verify the account by giving it a blue tick. As the Instagram marketplace is growing, make purchases only from accounts that are legitimate and are verified.

Check Login Activity: The login activity of a user states how many times a user has logged in from different locations and at what time. Checking your login activity at regular intervals helps you to keep track and recognise any unauthorised login attempt.

Block or Report Accounts: If you feel a user or an account is fake or suspicious, report it to Instagram and then block it to avoid interacting with that account. The blocking feature also helps in filtering accounts that harass you on social media.

Enable Two-factor Authentications: Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to your account. Even if your username and password is compromised, having a two-factor authentication will not allow the hacker to log into your account and sends across a warning to you about the unauthorised access.

Read Also: What is Multi-Factor Authentication and Why Is It Important?

Hope, you found this post usefull.

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