One instagram The DM scam going on since last year seems to be coming back. with him phishing scamfraudsters can gain access to you Instagram account Without even knowing about you. The scam first surfaced in June 2021 and is still in circulation. If you fall for it, you provide yourself with login credentials to fraudsters. Many cyber security experts have also issued warnings for this scam.
How come scam on instagram Happens
The fraudsters first send a link on Instagram, which reads, ‘It took me 3 hours to make this. I really hope you will love it”. Sometimes the caption is supported by a story. The link preview appears as if it is an Instagram post. The moment you click on the video to check whether it’s actually you or not, you’ll be directed to an Instagram login page.
On the new page, you will see a prompt claiming that you will not be able to view the post unless you are logged into your Instagram account and that is where the scam lies. You are then redirected to a fake Instagram login page specially designed to access the information you type. The page resembles the original Instagram website and the moment you enter your credentials, fraudsters take control of your account.
It is worth noting that the moment you share your login credentials, an automated bot will share the same link through your account to more Instagram users. With this, fraudsters can easily trap your followers by using your credentials.
How to know if a link is malicious
There are many ways to check whether the link you got is dangerous or safe but the easiest way to check is to go through the URL. If you want to be sure of a link you received on Instagram, check whether the URL begins with HTTPS or HTTP. Almost all websites including Instagram are now following the HTTPS protocol. HTTPS uses the SSL/TLS protocol to encrypt data and any page that claims to be Instagram and does not have HTTPS in the URL can be malicious.