Don’t fall for this Instagram verification scam

Instagram verification is very strict.A specific set of requirements must be met in order to obtain the blue badge. If Instagram contacts you and informs you that you are eligible for verification, you will probably jump at the opportunity. good, please do not: it’s a scam.

It seems that some of us are villains praying for people’s wishes to be verified on Instagram. BleepingComputer reportsthreat analysts at Vade uncovered a scheme to trick people into thinking they were eligible for Instagram’s blue badge. busy Send fake messages. In particular, on July 8th and on August 9th, scammers sent him over 1,000 messages. account.

The campaign starts like this: You will receive an email purporting to be from “ig-badges” notifying you that Instagram has determined that your particular account is of value. with a blue badge. Simply click the link in the email, fill out the form and complete the verification. To add urgency to the situation, the email states that it must be responded to within 48 hours. If you don’t reply, the form will be deleted.

Clicking on the link in the email will take you to a form that does its best to look like a legitimate verification site, complete with logos for all of Meta’s various apps. However, I have to point out that they call the company “Facebook” which undermines credibility. If you want to be taken seriously as a scammer, you need to pay more attention to details.

Anywaysyeah tThis form asks for your Instagram username, real name, email address, phone number and finally your password. This final request is to “verify” that you belong to the account in question. Sure, Jean.

Once your information has been checked out, you will be notified that you will be contacted within 48 hours to verify the blue badge on your account. Of course not. Instead, the good people at ig-badges know your account login details (and you worked hard for it) strong password, that too).if you have Two-factor authentication enabledyour password is not enough for a hacker to break into your account.

For the record, Instagram is I never have We will contact you directly about verifying your account. The only way to get the blue badge on your steering wheel is to apply and meet the requirements yourself. relatively strict requirementsProving that you own an account is easy and no other account representing you will apply for verification. It’s also easy to check that the is complete. The hard part is proving that you deserve the badge in the first place. Instagram requires your account to be “notable.” This means it is well-known and well-searched. Being on multiple news sources is good, but paying for those promotions is not. Essentially you need a follow up which is not guaranteed either way.

That said, the reality is that Instagram will suddenly select your account for verification. Try not to imagine how your life would be better if you were to see .