Fraudsters hack Instagram profiles for a variety of reasons. Most often, hacking an Instagram account is a trivial attempt to get rid of a competitor. In addition, pages can be used to send spam and make money online.
Accounts are sold or demand money for a refund. If you have received an offer to return your page for a certain amount, you should never agree to it. Most likely, they will continue to extort money from you (“this is not enough, send more”), and the business account will never be returned. Sometimes pages are hacked simply out of boredom, but that’s a completely different story.
We have collected the most basic information on how to protect Instagram from hacking.
How are Instagram Accounts Hacked?
Logging into a social network can be done via email, phone number, or Facebook. If the scammer has access to one of these login points, he can easily get to someone else’s account.
If there are suspicions that Instagram has been hacked, the first thing to do is to make sure that everything is okay with the above services and that the email linked to the page is not listed on it. Remove all passwords from your smartphone notes and Google Docs if you store them there.
Have your Instagram account hacked, most likely in one of two ways: by phishing or through a third-party app. Finding out the source of the disaster is important to prevent a repeat attack in the future.
Phishing
Phishing is the most common way to gain access to other people’s confidential information. To do this, scammers send out mass emails on behalf of Instagram officials. Outwardly, such emails are little or no different from the original ones, so it’s necessary to carefully study the address from which the emails were sent.
Third-Party Apps and Services
These are applications that were not downloaded via Google Play or AppStore but request access to social networks or are authorized via them. Most often, these are photo editors, promotion automation services, auto-posting, etc.
Signs of an Instagram Hack
Hacking an Instagram account is not always accompanied by the blocking of the account or the inability to get to your own page. Sometimes it is preceded by suspicious activity.
For example:
- you received notifications about login attempts you didn’t make;
- Suspicious posts and “friends” have appeared on your page that you didn’t have before;
- There are messages in direct that were not written by you.
If you notice any of the above, it is worth taking action to strengthen the protection of your account now without waiting for the complete blocking of the page.
How to Protect Instagram from Hacking?
Instagram is constantly improving tools to protect your privacy. Take advantage of the new options in the settings to avoid hacking.
A Difficult Password
Change the password for your Instagram page and the email account that your account is linked to. The password should consist of 8-10 characters, including uppercase and lowercase letters, as well as numbers. If it’s difficult to come up with the combinations yourself, use a special service for generating them – for example, lastpass.com or passwordist.com.
Two-Factor Authentication on Instagram
Turn on two-factor authentication, and fraudsters won’t be able to get your account, even if they know your password. To do this, select “Two-factor authentication” in the settings, click “Start” and follow the instructions.
Cancel Access for Third-Party Applications
You can see all apps that have access to the social network. To do this, go to the “Instagram” settings and select “Manage access”. Here you can also revoke the rights of suspicious services.
How to Restore Instagram After Hacking?
If you can’t log in to a compromised Instagram account, try resetting your password via your phone number, Facebook, or email. If you’re successful, set up two-factor authentication right away.
If you can’t log in, send a request to Instagram support via the “Forgot Password” button. Click “Need more help?” and select the “My account has been compromised” option. If you don’t hear back within 24 hours, repeat the procedures by checking the “I forgot my tethered email” box.
If scammers have changed your nickname and you can’t find the actual details of your own page, ask a friend to look up the actual nickname in your correspondence.
It’s difficult to get back a page attacked by scammers. It’s easier to protect your Instagram from being hacked with some simple manipulations. Changing a password, setting two-factor authentication, deleting access to unnecessary applications – all this takes no more than 5 minutes, while account recovery can take weeks. If it’s too late and Instagram has been hacked, you need to act as quickly as possible without negotiating with the attackers.
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