Recently, there have been an increasing number of reports that accounts have received an alleged Instagram DM from the social network. This (almost) always involves a possible account suspension. The most important lesson here is: Instagram never sends you a private message.
“I got an Instagram DM from Instagram …”
Anyone who is active on Instagram, in social media or as a journalist or influencer regularly receives private Instagram messages from concerned users.
The message is usually that their Instagram account has been blocked or that the user has received an alleged Instagram DM (direct message) from the social network itself, with a request to provide or update data so that their Instagram account is not blocked.
Instagram account blocked? The oldest spam message of the network
Some of the messages sent look very professional. The senders are either (hacked) verified Instagram accounts that you follow or Instagram accounts that want to imitate the official Instagram account.
And the content structure is often comparable as well. For example, you are informed that you have allegedly violated Instagram’s community standards. If you don’t want your Instagram account to be blocked, you should click on a link in the message so that “Instagram” can solve your problem.
Never click on links in an Instagram DM!
All these messages – whether they are better or worse made – are spam. You should remember this.
With these messages, scammers are just trying to hack your Instagram account. By clicking on the link and providing your login details or even credit card information, you open the door to your Instagram account for the thieves.
That’s why you should never press links in Instagram messages if you don’t know the sender. And even if you know the sender, you should be careful if the message doesn’t match the style of your friend or acquaintance’s other messages at all.
Instagram does not send Instagram DM, only emails
If your account actually violates Instagram’s policies, Instagram will try to contact you. However, this will never happen via Instagram DM, but always via the email you have stored in your account.
If you are unsure about some Instagram messages, you can easily find out if they actually come from Instagram. Because what many users don’t know: There is a separate section where you can see official Instagram messages to you.
- Open Instagram, go to the profile and open the settings by pressing on the three horizontal lines in the upper right corner.
- In the settings, select “Security.”
- There again, you will find the “Emails from Instagram” tab and click on it.
If you actually got an official Instagram DM, you’ll find it there – only there and not in your regular inbox.
Instagram account hacked? How to increase the protection of your account
If you don’t want to get into the awkward situation of your account potentially being taken over by strangers, you should take the necessary security measures.
This includes, for example, activating two-factor authentication and regularly checking the logins to your Instagram account.
If you receive login text messages that have not been activated by you, or if other accounts have logged into your account, this is a sure sign that your Instagram account has been hacked.
A supposed private message from Instagram itself is just a sign that scammers and spammers want to get your personal information. Don’t give them a chance!
