Instagram scammers are charging hack victims thousands of dollars to restore their accounts, according to reports from affected users. Hackers may be mass-reporting Instagram accounts and charging users up to $4,000 or more to recover them. Dozens of people have claimed on X and Meta's help forum that their Instagram or Facebook profiles were banned for no reason, often blaming Meta's AI-powered moderation.
Scammers Target Vulnerable Users
Suspended users told Metro that their inboxes were flooded with offers from so-called digital asset recovery experts charging fees to restore accounts. Metro saw Telegram con artists claiming to know people within Meta, called reps, who can restore accounts, or using AI-generated videos of success stories to gain trust. One user claimed to have recovered 160 accounts in the last week, charging up to $4,000 to afford chicken masala.
Heisenberg, whose eight-year-old Instagram account was locked in May, said the most frustrating part was not receiving a clear explanation or a meaningful way to appeal. A user messaged him claiming to be partnered with Meta and offered to reboot his account for $5,000 with five-year insurance. Heisenberg declined and later got his account back through official channels.
Underground Industry Exploits AI Flaws
Sanjana Bandara's nine-year-old account was locked on June 5 after Meta AI found it didn't follow rules. He said suspended users appear to be actively targeted by scammers almost immediately after posting about their cases. Social Media Experts LTD received 1,500 enquiries related to Instagram account issues in May, up 40% from March.
Marijus Briedis, CTO at NordVPN, warned that scammers pounce on victims when they are most vulnerable. Most tech support scams follow the same pattern: pay upfront, the scammer disappears, and they demand personal information. Pieter Arntz of Malwarebytes said scammers may carry out bot-driven mass-report campaigns to force Instagram's systems to ban accounts, then offer to unban them for a fee.
What to Do If Your Account Is Disabled
- Appeal through Instagram's in-app or help center recovery path as soon as possible.
- Always ensure you are communicating with Instagram or Meta, not third parties.
- Document everything, including screenshots, usernames, timestamps, and suspicious messages.
- Secure your account if still accessible: change password, enable two-factor authentication, review login activity.
- Do not pay anyone or give access to your device. If you paid, contact your bank and report the scam.
Meta's AI Enforcement Raises Concerns
Meta began testing AI-powered content enforcement last year, with early changes proving positive. The company plans to roll out a more advanced AI model to remove content about terrorism, child exploitation, drugs, fraud, and scams while reducing over-enforcement mistakes. However, Aras Nazarovas of Cybernews warned that tech companies are becoming overly reliant on AI, and security testing can be overlooked, allowing attackers to exploit weaknesses.
