What to do if someone you know is being impersonated on Instagram?

Have you ever got a DM on Instagram from a friend, but you didn't recognize the account? If you have, then a perpetrator might have impersonated your friend. 

Imposter accounts are nothing new, and that can happen to anyone. Therefore, we all need to play our part to keep our online information safe and secure and protect our identity from theft or malicious actions. 

Now, back to that suspicious DM situation. What must you do if you think your friend or someone else you know is being impersonated on Instagram? 

On Instagram, only the person who's being impersonated can file a report, but you can help by doing the following:

• Contact the person being impersonated by email or telephone to encourage them to report it to us.
• Direct message the person being impersonated to encourage them to report it to us.

If the impostor account is impersonating someone whom you're authorized to represent (e.g. your child), you can report the account using this form.

If someone is pretending to be you on Instagram, make sure you report it from the app or by visitingwww.instagram.com/hacked/

Bear in mind that your report is anonymous, except if you're reporting an intellectual property infringement. The account you reported won't see who reported them.

Protect yourself before this happens to you

• Turn on the two-factor authentication (2FA) and use a unique password or passphrase would make it much harder for perpetrators to use the "Forgot Password" to claim ownership of your account. 
• Make sure your email and phone numbers are up-to-date on your Instagram and that you have access to them. 
• Just like in real life, don't automatically accept friend requests from strangers and avoid sharing too much personally identifying information on Instagram, including your address or phone number.
• And don't forget to remain vigilant and actively manage your security settings through the Security Checkup on your Instagram app:
• Head to the Instagram app on your smartphone and tap on the small profile icon in the bottom right corner.
• Tap on the three-dash menu button( ) on the top right-hand corner.
• Select the Settings and Privacy option.
• Tap Accounts Centre
• Tap Password and Security under Account Settings
• Tap Security Checkup under Security Checks
• Select your Instagram Account
• Follow the prompts from there.