Have you ever come across an Instagram profile that makes you wonder if it’s real? Or have you received DMs from a celebrity, leaving you questioning whether it’s actually the celebrity messaging you or just one of their fake accounts? These five tips will help you easily identify a fake Instagram account.
Modified Username
The first thing you should check when verifying whether an Instagram account is real or fake is its username. Fake accounts often have slightly more or fewer characters than the username of the account they are trying to impersonate. The only requirement for this method to work is that you need to know the username of the legitimate Instagram account.
Additionally, if possible, you can reach out to the person being impersonated through other means to confirm if they are actually trying to contact you on Instagram. If a celebrity account is contacting you, you can do a quick Google search to check whether that celebrity even has an Instagram account. For example, as of now, Elon Musk doesn’t have an official Instagram account. So, if you receive a message from an account claiming to be Elon Musk, it is undoubtedly fake.
Incomplete Profile
Fake accounts on Instagram often have incomplete profiles. Some may lack a profile picture, others might not have a bio, and some won’t even have a single highlight. Yes, I understand that some people might intentionally choose not to include these things, but since there isn’t a foolproof way to spot a fake account, you’ll need to rely on probability. Most people typically have these elements on their Instagram profiles, so if someone doesn’t, there’s a high chance the account might be fake.
Additionally, you should examine the bio of any profile you suspect is fake. Fake accounts are often created with the intent to scam people. You might find suspicious links in their bio, misspelled words, or an excessive use of special characters.
Random Interactions on Posts
You will often find fake accounts leaving irrelevant comments on posts. They might promote scams or ask people to reach out via DM to earn extra money. These are common red flags that usually indicate the account is fake and aims to scam people.
Unusual Following and Followers List
Instagram allows you to follow as many people as you want. However, most people only follow accounts they know, which is why their following list is usually limited to a few thousand. On the other hand, fake accounts often have an extensive following list. They follow tens of thousands of people at once, hoping those individuals will follow back. This strategy helps them increase their follower count, making their account appear more authentic.
That’s why you should carefully review the following and followers lists of any account you suspect is fake. If the suspected account is public, you should check the accounts it’s following. Often, you’ll find that it is following other spam or fake accounts.
Unprofessional DMs
Popular celebrities often have numerous fake accounts on social media platforms like Instagram. While most of these accounts are fan pages, some are created with the intent to exploit the celebrity’s name to scam people. Scammers typically reach out via direct messages, claiming to be the real celebrity. They may ask you to click on a random link or, in some cases, request money, saying they are in a difficult situation and will repay it once they get home.
However, it’s important to remember that celebrities typically do not initiate contact with the general public, especially to request money or click on suspicious links. If you receive such a message from a famous celebrity account, report and block it immediately, as it’s almost certainly fake.
Check About This Account
The “About This Account” feature on Instagram is one of the best ways to spot a fake account. It shows the date the account was created and the number of times the username has been changed.
The account creation date can help you determine if the account was recently created, while the username change history reveals how often the account’s username has been updated.
To access the “About This Account” section, go to the profile you suspect is fake, tap the three dots in the top-right corner, and select the “About This Account” option. Under the Date Joined section, you’ll see the account’s creation date. By tapping the “Former Usernames” option, you can view how many times the username has been changed.
A genuine account is often several months or years old and typically has no more than two or three username changes.
How to Report An Instagram Account
Once you’re certain that an Instagram account is fake, you should report it to alert Instagram and have the account deleted as quickly as possible. This ensures the account is deactivated promptly and cannot spam other users.
To report a fake Instagram account, visit the account in question, tap the three dots in the top-right corner, and select “Report.” Choose “Something About This Account” and then select “They Are Pretending to Be Someone Else.”
Next, select “Someone Else” and enter the name of the account they’re impersonating. Finally, click “Submit Report.”
Instagram will carefully review the reported account and block it if it violates Instagram’s community guidelines. You can check the status of your report by going to your profile, selecting the hamburger menu, and navigating to Help > Support Requests > Reports. On this page, you’ll see a list of all the accounts and posts you’ve reported. Simply tap on the account you reported to check its status and see whether Instagram has removed it.
That’s everything you need to know about identifying and reporting fake Instagram accounts. Remember, there’s no foolproof way to detect them, so you’ll need to rely on probabilities. If an account meets the suspicious criteria outlined above, there’s a strong chance it’s fake.
