How to Recognize and Block Fake Instagram Accounts?
Those endless fake accounts on Instagram... I think we all have a common problem. Just when we're enjoying our feed, a random giveaway tagging, a message from someone offering "investment advice," or a follow request from someone who doesn't even have a profile photo... can completely ruin our fun. This has become so commonplace that we practically have to work as detectives to distinguish real profiles from fake ones. If you're tired of this, you're in the right place. Let me explain, without beating around the bush, how to recognize and block fake Instagram accounts in the most practical ways.
It's Actually Very Easy to Tell If a Profile Is Fake
In my opinion, it usually takes seconds to tell if an account is fake. The first thing you should look at is the profile's overall vibe. Think about it: a real person would emulate their profile a little, right? But fake accounts... they don't really care. Look at the username. It's usually meaningless, like user_ahmet_84736. Or they take a celebrity's name and add a bunch of numbers to the end. Nobody chooses a username like that, that is, unless they have to.
Then there's the famous profile photo. They usually have three options: no photo at all, a low-quality landscape found online, or, worst of all, they've stolen someone else's photo, especially a beautiful woman or handsome man. The bio is either blank or glossed over with a meaningless motivational quote. For example, writing "Live, Laugh, Love" followed by a suspicious cryptocurrency link is a favorite move. The number of posts is also a key clue. You realize the account has only three posts, all posted on the same day, five minutes apart. But it has thousands of followers. This is a profile that screams, "I'm fake."
Numbers and Comments Never Lie
Let's say the profile looked normal at first glance. Then we need to look at the math. And it is not strange to have content creators following 150 people and getting 10,000 followers. But if you see an account following 7,500 people and having only 2,000 followers, that would most probably be a bot sending automatic follow requests to anybody in order to harvest followers. The nature of this discrepancy is meant only to fake a few digits.
My favorite part is reading the comments. The comments under these fake accounts' posts are so hilarious. They're usually the same: "Awesome," "Great post," the flame emoji, the applause emoji... The post describes a sad memory, and below it, a bot comments, "Perfect!" Because bots don't understand content, they just randomly type pre-programmed words. If all the comments under a profile consist of such meaningless and generic phrases, the interaction is completely fake. Here's a quick list of how to hunt for fake accounts:
- Is the username meaningless?
- Is the profile photo suspicious or non-existent?
- Does the user follow significantly more people than they follow?
- Were all their posts posted on the same day?
- Are the comments always the same? ("Awesome," "Super," "๐ฅ")
If you answer "yes" to even a few of these questions, I'd say stay away from that account.
Without further ado: Block and Get Rid
So, we've detected a fake account. What do we do now? The answer is simple: We won't bother with it. Don't respond to their message, don't click their link, and don't engage in an argument. There are two simple steps you need to take.
First, block. Click the three dots in the top right corner of the profile, select "Block," and never see that account in your life again. That's it. Second, if you feel responsible to society, use the "Report" option from the same menu. By telling Instagram that this account is spam or fake, you'll help the platform investigate and close it. Taking these two steps takes only 10 seconds, but they'll save you a lot of headaches in the future. Remember, ensuring our own security in the digital world is our first responsibility.