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What is 'Instagram Copyright Infringement' scam? Tips to protect your account from being hacked

"We're reiterating that Instagram never communicates with users through direct messages," said a Facebook spokesperson to DNA.

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Seems like the issue of 'Instagram Copyright Infringement scam', which has taken the social media by storm after several celebrities who fell prey to it warned netizens and urged them to be vigilant, isn't one that is dying down any time soon.

The latest celebrity who fell prey to the scam was actor Ameesha Patel.

 Before her, filmmaker Farah Khan, actor Vikrant Massey, celebrity interior designer Sussanne Khan, actor-politician Urmila Matondkar among several other social media users reported that their Instagram account was hacked. 

Earlier, singer Ankit Tiwari's Facebook account was hacked too.

How does the scam work?

It is believed that usually, the target handle receives a DM from a verified ID titled 'Help Center' that claims to be associated with the 'Instagram/Copyright infringement Center'.

The message apparently reads, "Hello Instagram user, we have received many complaints about your account for a long time. We wanted to inform you about this. Before you delete your account, some of the posts you posted are against our community guidelines. If you think the copyright infringement statement is false, you must provide feedback. Otherwise, your account will be permanently deleted from the platform within 72 hours."

In the following step, just like how a 'phishing scam' works, a "copyright appeal form" is attached in the form of a link, which of course asks the users to fill in their personal details including their Instagram password, date of birth among other things. 

So, while you are thinking that the information that you are typing is securely being typed and sent to Instagram, it actually goes to the hacker. 

Within minutes of receiving the details, the hacker logs into the account, changes the password and gains total control over it, subsequently locking the actual user of the account out of it. 

What is the motive behind hacking these accounts?

The most obvious reason is to gain access to personal details which then can be sold for a fortune on the darknet. 

So, when a celebrity account is hacked, one can only imagine the price that the hacker gets by selling the personal details. 

Celebrities warn netizens about dubious e-mails, DMs

While most of the celebrity accounts were recovered after they reported that their handles were hacked, several of them shared detailed posts warning netizens to not open dubious links or reply to random DMs in order to protect citizens at large from the scam. 

"My Instagram account has been hacked. @instagram First they DM you n ask to follow a few steps n verify the account n it then it gets hacked..really..!!??? #notdone," Urmila had written in one of her Tweets. 

Sussanne Khan had put out a screenshot of a note in which she disclosed how her account was hacked so that other's did not fall prey to it. 

In her note and her caption, Sussane wrote, "My Instagram account was hacked by a fake email pretending to be Instagram. I didn't realise that it was not authentic and so I clicked on the button. I write this sincere note, please do not click on any dodgy emails or messages. A huge ‘THANK YOU’ to the great team of @Instagram for quickly salvaging the situation and helping me get my account back. Stay safe from viral thieves and bandits (sic)."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Sussanne Khan (@suzkr)

Stating that her Instagram account was also hacked, the 'Happy New Year' filmmaker noted, "This is true! My instagram was also hacked n many dm s could hav gone from it.. pls be vigilant."

What does Instagram have to say?

"We know that losing access to your account can be a distressing experience. We have sophisticated measures in place to stop bad actors in their tracks before they gain access to accounts, as well as measures to help people recover their accounts. We're also reiterating that Instagram never communicates with users through direct messages and all communication made by Instagram via email can be confirmed in the app, in Settings> Security> Emails from Instagram," said a Facebook spokesperson to DNA.

Steps to protect your account from being hacked as listed by Instagram:

 - Enable the two-factor authentication for extra security for your account. It offers additional security to ensure that even if someone knows your password, only you can access your account. Two-factor authentication can be done by codes sent by SMS or by a third-party authentication application (such as Duo Mobile or Google Authenticator).

- Choose a strong password: a combination of at least six letters, numbers and punctuation marks.


- Revoke access to third-party applications. They can expose your login information.


- Do not share your password with people you do not trust.


- Instagram never communicates with users through Direct and all communication made by Instagram via email can be confirmed in the app, in Settings> Security> Instagram emails.


- If you think your account has been hacked or taken over, there are several actions you can take to secure your account by clicking on this link- https://help.instagram.com/149494825257596

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