Scammers on Instagram
Instagram has a lot of users. So, you will also find a lot of scammers there. One of the most common scams I currently face there is the Instagram Ambassador scam.
The Instagram Ambassador scam
I saw this scam the first time in February 2023. Somebody with whom I was in contact on Instagram previously, contacted me and asked for help. The guy told me that he was contesting for an ambassador position in an online program and asked me to vote for him. Then he told me that he would send me a link. I got an SMS link for resetting the password of my Instagram account. The guy asked me to send him a screenshot of this link.
At that point I realized that I was dealing with a scammer and that this account had been hijacked. The scammer initiated a password reset of my account. So, Instagram sent me a reset link via SMS. If I had sent the scammer the screenshot of the link as requested, then this would have allowed him to reset the password of my Instagram account and take over my account. I just told the scammer that I don't trust him. He tried to convince me that everything is all right and asked to proceed. I refused. A couple of days later I asked him how it was going with his application for the Ambassador program. I got the following response from the scammer:
The Instagram figure scam
A guy with whom I was in contact previously, offered me 500 € for detecting a figure on an image:
After telling the guy the figure, he asked me for my bank account details. Then I asked him why he wanted to pay me 500 € for detecting a figure on an image. He gave me a really stupid explanation. He wanted to help people paying their bills. I can pay my bills myself. So, I have given the guy the bank account details of the Red Cross:
The guy told me that the payment is pending and that I have to link his email address to my Instagram account. Basically, he asked me to replace the email address in my Instagram account settings with his. That would have allowed him to take over my account. At that point it was so obvious that I was dealing with a scammer who hijacked this account.
The scammer sent me a screenshot of a fake conversation with somebody who got the payment.
The Instagram police scam
This scam works like the figure scam. The person promises to give you 1.000 € for guessing something. Then the scammer either asks you to send a screenshot of a password reset message or to replace the email address in your account settings with his.
Tattoo artists
I frequently get messages from tattoo artists who want to give me 500 € for promoting their designs on my Instagram account. When I tell them that I need their full name, address, and email address for sending a bill, then they no longer respond.
Love scammers
If you get a message request on Instagram from a girl with really hot pictures and the message just consists of the word ‘Hi’, then usually it's a love scammer. I really hate it when somebody sends me a message that just contains the word ‘Hi’. So, I have asked the person to include all information in one go.
The person claimed to look for a relationship. I noticed that this person was using pictures from Corinna Kopf. At that point, it was obvious that I was dealing with a scammer. I asked the scammer why he is using pictures from Corinna Kopf. I did not get a response.
I have read about this type of scam in the newspaper. These guys are trying to dig you into a deep conversation and gain your trust. When you ask for a video call or a date, then they refuse because it would reveal that they are not the person whom they claim to be. They claim to own restaurants, gyms, clothing businesses, or even hospitals. But when you ask them about details of their business, for example, a website, then they are unable to provide them. One day suddenly something happens to them. An accident happens, they end up in the hospital and then they ask you for money.
Origin
I have found out that the scammers who wanted to gain control over my Instagram account are based in Nigeria. Most of the love scammers who contacted me are based in Asia, for example, China, Thailand, and Philippines. One guy was based in Brazil.