For millennials who live and breathe social media, getting verified is like joining the rich kids club. People now rank others on the basis of their followers and their verification, that one blue tick might increase or decrease the reputation or in some can authority and influence. This was not common back in the days, however, with the huge demand for social media influencers in the business, things are now becoming more dramatic. Brands now prefer social media influencers with an organic audience, better reach, good content but also the “blue tick”.
For some of us getting verified on Instagram might not be appealing, others want to for business purpose whereas the majority just wants to brag in front of their friends’ circle. Whatever the reason may be, hackers and online scammers are now preying on people who want to get verified on Instagram. Usually, these hackers’ either offer to sell verified Instagram accounts to the user or they offer to get the account verified in a few dollars. On contacting these hackers, users are usually asked to provide personal details, email address, username, and password on a webpage that looks similar to Instagram official website, but actually it's a trap. This means that hackers can access to your Instagram account if you fall prey to this scam, usually, they blackmail the user by stealing their private photos and videos.
To address this problem and explain how it works, the website security and protection firm Sucuri explained the whole procedure. According to this firm, most of the hackers after accessing an Instagram account try their best to change the ownership of that hacked profile by either swapping phone number or email address. This means that even after reporting, the hacked user will no longer be in charge of the account. Moreover, there were also instances when hackers threaten to release the users’ data online if they are unable to pay a specific amount of money. In short, wishing for verification on Instagram, from an unofficial medium might be more dangerous than most of us think. For some, this might be another way to fit in the society but this wish might cost a fortune in the internet world.
Also read: Instagram now Let Users Recover Hacked Accounts in Easiest Way Possible
Read next: Instagram adds 'Share to' button on Stories for sharing them in other apps
For some of us getting verified on Instagram might not be appealing, others want to for business purpose whereas the majority just wants to brag in front of their friends’ circle. Whatever the reason may be, hackers and online scammers are now preying on people who want to get verified on Instagram. Usually, these hackers’ either offer to sell verified Instagram accounts to the user or they offer to get the account verified in a few dollars. On contacting these hackers, users are usually asked to provide personal details, email address, username, and password on a webpage that looks similar to Instagram official website, but actually it's a trap. This means that hackers can access to your Instagram account if you fall prey to this scam, usually, they blackmail the user by stealing their private photos and videos.
To address this problem and explain how it works, the website security and protection firm Sucuri explained the whole procedure. According to this firm, most of the hackers after accessing an Instagram account try their best to change the ownership of that hacked profile by either swapping phone number or email address. This means that even after reporting, the hacked user will no longer be in charge of the account. Moreover, there were also instances when hackers threaten to release the users’ data online if they are unable to pay a specific amount of money. In short, wishing for verification on Instagram, from an unofficial medium might be more dangerous than most of us think. For some, this might be another way to fit in the society but this wish might cost a fortune in the internet world.
Also read: Instagram now Let Users Recover Hacked Accounts in Easiest Way Possible
Read next: Instagram adds 'Share to' button on Stories for sharing them in other apps
