Instagram has a lot of fake accounts, bots, and impersonators. If you look at the comments on popular posts, you’ll see lots of suspicious activity, like people promoting cryptocurrency. Some fake accounts look very real, making it hard to tell if they’re genuine or scams.
These fake accounts often offer services and ask for personal details, ranging from your email or phone number to more sensitive information like your bank details or verification codes. Even if you check their profile pictures, how often they post, and their follower-to-following ratio, it might not be enough to spot the fakes.
However, there are better ways to figure out which accounts are real and which ones are not.
Three red flags of a fake Instagram account
On an Instagram profile, you can tap the three dots to open a menu. From there, choose “about this account” to see important details that Instagram shares with you.
1. Check the account age
Look for the “date joined.” Many fake accounts are new because scammers often create new accounts after being caught. An account less than a year old could be a warning sign, especially if it seems suspicious based on what it’s promoting.
2. Check the account location
Next, look at where the account is based. This is found under “account based in.” If an account is supposed to be about rentals in New York City but is based in Nigeria, that’s suspicious. Remember, some scammers might choose not to show their location in their settings. If you can’t see the location and something else seems off, be cautious.
3. Check the account’s former usernames
The last detail to check is the “former usernames” field. This can be very revealing. While a new account might still be legitimate, if you see that the “date joined” is recent and there are several past usernames, it can suggest a scammer trying to start fresh without creating a new account. If an account has changed its username multiple times, that’s a reason to be cautious.
These three points—account age, location, and past usernames—may not definitely tell you if an account is fake, but they are important to consider before you decide to trust it with your personal information.