Instagram Accounts Getting Hacked, Cybercriminals Luring Users With Fake Crypto Return on Investment
Hackers send a message to a user offering a fee for promoting a product. After clicking on the link, users might lose access to your account and can become a victim of cyber fraud.
Instagram is really addictive and has become the go-to app for most users across the world. No doubt, it has great features, from Reels to DMs, stories and more. Even though the app is safe, cybercriminals are always finding a new way to hack users' accounts. One such way used by hackers, especially for Indian users with the help of advanced technology, is posting a fake crypto return on investment. Cryptocurrency prices in India today (18 Oct 2022).
Hackers send a message to a user offering a fee for promoting a product. After clicking on the link, users might lose access to your account and can become a victim of cyber fraud. Hackers then take control of the account and lure that user's followers by posting a fake cryptocurrency return on investment, along with a few links for investing.
Vadodara cybercrime detectives have received over 100 complaints of Instagram accounts being hacked. A hacker sends a message to a user offering a fee to promote a product or a service. When the user clicks on the link, his/her account gets hacked and then the hacker immediately changes the password and registered email id, said Hardik Makadia, ACP (cybercrime). Hackers Return More Than Half of $613 Million Stolen in Biggest Ever Cryptocurrency Heist.
In another Instagram fraud incident, Ashvita Chetan Patil received a link on Instagram from her friend (whose account was also hacked) to solve a puzzle. After clicking on the link, Ashvita's account was also hacked, and she was not able to access her account. One of her posts on her account is shown below.
Getting scammed online is nothing new but the thing is the types of scams have evolved. There are certain steps you can take so that you do not fall for these scams. First of all, avoid clicking on posts that promise a high return on investment using cryptocurrency, especially Bitcoin. In addition to this, you can enable 2FA on Instagram and set up a strong password with special characters.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 18, 2022 10:56 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).