New Delhi: Beware of this new Instagram scam Wandering around the internet. According to a new online report, instagram Scammers have developed a lucrative banning racket. Scammers can ban any Instagram account for money. The report said that this racket of banning people is very lucrative and scammers are making a lot of money from it.
According to a report by Motherboard, scammers can get any Instagram account banned for $60. The report further states that scammers are making more money on the backend by helping targeted users gain access to their accounts.
Online reports suggest that in order to impersonate a target scammers need a verified account and then report the target as an impersonator in order to get them banned. The target only needs to be a human in their profile picture for this method to work. The report also states that scammers are “using Instagram’s security to purposefully target and ban Instagram accounts against suicide, self-harm and impersonation.”
Motherboard also interviewed various Instagram users whose accounts were banned. These account bands have been caused by multiple scripts that can spam Instagram’s reporting tools without exceeding the app’s limitations. The report states, “A script created about 10 months ago tells Motherboard that it will stop auto reporting after about 40 reports so as not to hit Instagram’s limit. Motherboard took a job on a freelancing site. Also saw the ad, demanding someone develop a bot. To report an Instagram account at large.”
The report also noted that many businesses that offer sanctioning services also help recover accounts. Some users whose accounts were banned also received offers of help to get their accounts back.
The report states that Instagram has acknowledged the issue and will also investigate websites that provide banning services.
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