For example, if you or your business has been mentioned in multiple news sources, that helps. The social network won’t check every user, but you may have some points in your favor. In other words, you should verify your account now. The ban-attack business centers on accusations of impersonation, so the best way to protect yourself is to convince Instagram that you are you before anything happens. In the meantime, we suggest you take some measures to protect yourself. Instagram told Motherboard that it plans to sniff out cybercriminal accounts on the platform, and asks users to report any suspicious activity, but that approach is time-consuming. Unfortunately, users tend to learn about a ban attack only after the fact. Third, the official recovery procedure through Instagram support is free. Second, doing so supports confirmed miscreants - perhaps even the ones who got your account banned in the first place. If anyone comes knocking with an offer to restore your account for money, don’t pay! First, you have no guarantee that anything will come of it. To do so, you will need to enter your username and password, then follow the instructions. Bans are appealable only through the app. If you’re already the victim of a ban attack, contact Instagram support immediately with an explanation of what happened. What to do if your Instagram profile gets blocked Some users do receive an offer to reinstate their account just a few minutes after the blocking, however, and those offers often come from followers of the accounts from which the original complaints came. Whether the same people are behind the banning and the unblocking services, or whether it’s an accidental symbiosis, remains unclear for now. Unblocking carries a far higher fee than blocking - reportedly up to $3,500–$4,000. In fact, blocking Instagram accounts opens up another money-generating avenue: restoring them. Malicious scripts are freely available, and any online hooligan can use them to settle a personal score or silence a disagreeable blogger. However, not all users who abuse Instagram’s moderation practices are in it to make money. The target, who might never even dream of violating the terms of use, simply finds their account blocked.Īccording to the Motherboard reporters, the service is inexpensive, running about $5 to $60, so the cybercriminals have no shortage of customers.

Unlike phishing and other similar schemes that still require action from the victim - clicking a dangerous link, for example - a ban attack works with no victim participation whatsoever. In many cases, Instagram takes the easier path, blocking accounts on the basis of such complaints without first checking their actual content. The second blocking method is to inundate tech support with messages alleging that the victim’s profile contains images of suicide or self-mutilation. If the victim’s account is not verified, the support service bans the victim. Then they file a complaint against the original, accusing the owner of impersonation. The attackers use verified accounts to create a full copy of the victim’s profile, right down to the avatar and description. The group’s favored tactic is the fake impersonation complaint, which involves verified accounts, identifiable by the blue check next to the username. Recently, online magazine Motherboard connected with a cybercriminal group and learned how they exploit Instagram’s policy to make money through ban-as-a-service offerings. Such attacks began last fall, but of late they’ve become particularly high-profile. It’s all quite simple: Detractors or competitors can pay a fee (the amount depends on the seller or even the number of followers) to have your profile blocked. How cybercriminals block Instagram profiles Here’s how these attacks work, how to defend against them, and what to do if your account has been hit. For responsible users, the idea of being banned for, say, displaying suicidal content or trying to impersonate someone else might seem like a bad dream or a cruel joke, but it’s quite real for victims of the new wave of so-called ban attacks. If you run a popular blog and promote your business through Instagram, an account ban simply isn’t in the plan. KasperskyPremium Support and Professional Services.KasperskyEndpoint Security for Business Advanced.KasperskyEndpoint Security for Business Select.

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