instagram : Abuse and Spam (threat / Spam / Nudes / phishing)

Abuse and Spam

You can report inappropriate posts, comments or people that aren’t following our Community Guidelines or Terms of Use right when you see them by using our built-in reporting features.

How do I report a post or profile for abuse or spam on Instagram?

If you don’t have an Instagram account, you can report abuse, spam or anything else that doesn’t follow our Community Guidelines using this form.

If you have an Instagram account, you can report abuse, spam or anything else that doesn’t follow our Community Guidelines from within the app.How to report a postHow to report a profileHow to report something when using Instagram on the web

Keep in mind that when you report something, your information isn’t shared with the person whose post or profile you’re reporting.

How do I report a comment on Instagram for abuse or spam?

If you see comments that aren’t following our Community Guidelines, you can report them. To report a comment:

1. Tap  below the post.
2. Swipe left over the comment (iPhone) or tap and hold the comment (Android) you’d like to report.
3. Tap  (iPhone) or  (Android).
4. Tap Spam or Scam or Abusive Content.
5. Select an option for why the comment is abusive.

When you report an inappropriate comment, your report is anonymous, meaning your information is never shared with the person whose posted the comment.

If someone leaves an inappropriate comment on your post, you can delete it.

How do I avoid scams on Instagram?

If you see something you think is a scam, you should avoid responding and report the scam to Instagram.

Scams on Instagram happen when people create fake accounts or hack into existing Instagram accounts you’ve followed. The scammers use these fake or compromised accounts to trick you into giving them money or personal information.

Things to watch out for

• People asking you for money who you don’t know in person.
• People asking you to send them money or gift cards to receive a loan, prize or other winnings.
• Anyone asking you to pay a fee in order to apply for a job.
• Accounts representing large companies, organizations or public figures that are not verified.
• People claiming to be from Instagram security asking you to provide account information (like your username or password), or offering you account verification services.
• People asking you to move your conversation off Instagram to a less public or less secure setting, such as a separate email.
• People claiming to have a friend or relative in an emergency.
• People who misrepresent where they are located.
• Messages that appear to come from a friend or a company you know that ask you to click on a suspicious link.
• Messages or posts with poor spelling and grammatical mistakes.
• People or accounts asking you to claim a prize.

Learn more about how to keep your account secure on Instagram.

Types of scams

• Romance Scams: Romance scammers typically send romantic messages to people they don’t know, often pretending to be divorced, widowed or in distress. They’ll engage in online relationships claiming to need money for flights or visas. Their goal is to gain your trust, so the conversations may continue for weeks before they ask for money. Be vigilant of engaging in such conversations with people you don’t know in real life.
• Lottery Scams: Lottery scams are often carried out from accounts impersonating someone you know or an organization (such as a government agency or a social media platform). The messages will claim that you’re among the winners of a lottery and that you can receive your money for a small advance fee. The scammer may ask you to provide personal information, such as your physical address or bank details which they can use for other criminal activities.
• Loan Scams: Loan scammers send messages or leave comments on posts offering instant loans, at a low interest rate for a small advance fee. Once an initial payment is made they may ask for more money to provide a larger loan or simply end the conversation and disappear with the payment. Avoid making any transactions to people that you don’t know.
• False Investment Scams: Scammers may promise unrealistic monetary benefits like offering to convert a small amount of money into a larger sum (example: $100 = $1000) and solicit money from you. This false promise of return on investment results in the scammer disappearing with the payment. Some types of false investment scams to watch out for include “cash flipping” scams, Ponzi schemes or “get rich quick” schemes.
• Job Scams: Job scammers use misleading or fake job postings to try and get your personal information or money. Avoid job postings that sound too good to be true or that ask you to pay anything upfront. When clicking on a link from a job posting, watch out for websites that seem unrelated to the original job posting or that ask for sensitive information (example: government ID) but don’t use secure (https) browsing.
• Credit Card Fraud: Scammers use stolen financial information to make purchases online or to lure others into buying goods or services at a significantly lower price than the market price. If you notice suspicious activity on your credit card, you should report it to your financial institution or local law enforcement.
• Paid Subscription Services: Scammers will offer the sale of paid subscription services or lifetime access to these paid subscription services for a one-time payment. Avoid purchasing subscription-based services from unknown third parties since scammers won’t deliver the product, or the product won’t work as they claim it will.
• Phishing Scam: Phishing is when someone tries to get access to your Instagram account by sending you a suspicious message or link that asks for your personal information. If they get into your account, a scammer may have access to things like your phone number or email address. They may also change your password to lock you out of your account.

How do I report a message that was sent to me or stop someone from sending me messages with Instagram Direct?

You can report abusive photos, videos and messages that are sent to you with Instagram Direct:

1. Open the conversation in the Instagram app.
2. Tap and hold the individual message you’d like to report.
3. Tap Report.
4. Select a reason for why you’re reporting the message and then tap Report.

If you’d like to report a post from Feed that was sent to you with Instagram Direct, you can tap the post and report it.

If you want to stop someone from sending you messages, you can block that person or report their profile.

What should I do if someone is asking me to share a nude or sexual photo or video of myself on Instagram?

We worked with ConnectSafely.org on the following answer. For more information and advice please visit www.connectsafely.org.

Sharing nude or sexual photos/videos is a violation of Instagram’s Community Guidelines, so the simplest answer you can give someone is, “No. It’s not allowed on Instagram.” But beyond Instagram, it’s important to think about how it would impact you if nude or sexual photos/videos of yourself got out of your control. This can happen the instant someone shares a photo or video. Sometimes people make mistakes, play stupid jokes, or act in anger and share things they shouldn’t.

If you’re under the age of 18, it’s especially important for you to know that sharing nude or sexually explicit images of minors—on the web, on mobile phones, by mail or any other way—is illegal in most countries and could have serious legal and life-changing consequences for both the creator of the images and anyone who requests them.

The safest thing you can do is never share nude photos/videos—or anything else you wouldn’t want other people seeing—to anyone, even if you feel very close to the person asking for them. If someone you care about asks you to share a nude photo/video or leave Instagram for a private web chat and you don’t want to, tell the person that it makes you feel uncomfortable. If this person really cares about you, he or she will understand. If anyone tries to threaten or intimidate you into sharing photos/video, just refuse. If it continues, tell someone you trust or contact the police.

Also remember that Instagram is a place to share your life with your followers through photos and video. When you allow someone to follow you, they may see personal information you’ve shared on Instagram (like your personal website URL or who follows you). The best way to stay safe is to only accept followers that you know well outside of Instagram.

What should I do if someone is threatening to share things I want to keep private (example: photos or videos)?

We worked with ConnectSafely.org on the following answer. To learn more, please visit http://www.connectsafely.org/.

If someone is threatening to share things you intended to be private and asking you to send them money or anything else, you have options:

• Contact local law enforcement and report this to them.
• Report this person to us.
• Block this person. Depending on your privacy settings, people on Instagram can see a list of your followers and who you follow. Once you block someone, they no longer have access to your profile.

The safest thing you can do is never share something you wouldn’t want other people seeing, even if you feel like you trust the person asking you to share.

If you’re under 18

If you’re under 18, we recommend talking with a parent or other adult you trust to help you think through what to do. We offer some tips for parents on safety and security on Instagram. Here are other resources for you to consider:

• Contact a crisis hotline or chat service. These can be found all over the US and in many other countries. This is a good option if you want to remain anonymous while deciding what to do. Crisis lines can also often refer you to a victim advocate or other legal adviser near you. In the US, you can search for one by zip code at www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/our-network/ or visit www.crisischat.org/.
• Talk with a victim advocate or social worker in your town or city. In the US, there are victim advocates in county offices, police stations, domestic violence prevention centers, rape crisis centers, sheriff’s offices and offices of state attorneys general. Victim advocates can help you gather evidence, figure out how to keep you safe and get a civil protection or anti-stalking order against the person threatening you. If you’re in the US, call the National Organization for Victim Assistance at 1-800-TRY-NOVA/800-879-6682 or go to www.trynova.org.
• Contact a legal aid society or organization near you for free advice.
• Ask a lawyer or other counselor for advice.
• Talk to a school counselor or administrator.

What should I do if someone on Instagram asks me to buy goods or services from them?

We don’t support using Instagram for buying and selling goods or services, and we encourage people to avoid this behavior in our Community Guidelines.

If someone on Instagram offers to sell you something, we recommend that you ignore it. Unfortunately, we can’t provide help if you purchase something from a fraudulent person on Instagram.

If you see something that goes against our Community Guidelines (example: discount codes, links to buy goods), you can report it.

What can I do if I’ve been phished on Instagram?

What is phishing?

Phishing is when someone tries to get access to your Instagram account by sending you a suspicious message or link that asks for your personal information. These messages may also claim that your account will be banned or deleted if you don’t follow their directions. If they get into your account, they may use your account to send spam.

Example: Joey gets an email saying he needs to log into his Instagram account and read an important message about his account. The email links to a strange looking website asking him to enter his username and password.

I think I’ve been phished. What can I do?

If you accidentally entered your username or password into a strange link, someone else might be able to log in to your account. Here are some things you can do.

• If you are able to log in to your account, learn how to secure your account by resetting your password and logging out of any devices you don’t own.
• Learn how to reset your password. If you can’t get into your account and your username or password don’t work, learn how to recover your account.
• You can always report strange emails to [email protected].

How do I avoid getting phished?

Look out for suspicious emails or messages

• Don’t trust messages demanding money, offering gifts or threatening to delete or ban your Instagram account.
• Emails from Instagram/Facebook about your account will only come from @mail.instagram.com or @facebookmail.com.

Don’t click suspicious links

• If you get a suspicious email or message claiming to be from Instagram, don’t click any links or attachments.

Don’t respond to these emails

• Don’t answer messages asking for your password, social security number, or credit card information.

Get alerts

• Turn on two-factor authentication for additional account security.

Security Tips

• Learn how to increase your account’s security on Instagram.