Scammed by a seller on Instagram? What to Do

People have been scammed online through different methods ranging from the Business email compromise scam (BEC) to, Bank scam among others. Some have also been scammed by a seller on Instagram, Facebook, and other social media platforms.

The Instagram seller scam is a prevalent one where people have been duped off their hard-earned money. Some of the sellers claim they are legit or personal shoppers when in actual fact they are selling fake items.

It is so funny how some don’t even sell anything at all and will simply block you as soon as you pay. They use nice and beautiful pictures just to try to fool an individual into paying for a fake item.

It could be Shoes, Clothes, Wristwatches, Sneakers, Cosmetics, Cars, Gaming tools, or anything. Some even add ridiculous prices on the item. Also, try not to be fooled by their hundreds of followers, some buy bots as well to gain thousands of followers to make it seem like they’re legit.

Most of the pictures used on their Instagram pages are either stolen or gotten randomly from different websites. Some use different payment methods, Cashapp, Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, or even bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies because they believe it isn’t easy to be traced back to them.

However, if you have been scammed by an Instagram seller, we have some tips on what to do that could help you get your money back or get the IG account deactivated.

What to Do

Firstly, You can seek assistance from a cyber-crime investigator. While there is no 100% assurance that you will receive your money back, you may be fortunate enough to have enough information to locate and apprehend the scammer.

Secondly, you can also report the account but note that doing this might reduce your chances of getting the scammer because the account will probably be deleted by Instagram. But, you can get some information such as the IP address, location, and phone model if you convince the scammer to click on a Grabify link. Using this method will only be possible if the scammers aren’t using a VPN to change their location.

Or, To help others from falling for the scam, you can just report the account so it could be deleted by Instagram. You can follow these steps to get the IG account deactivated.

1. Go to the profile of the seller you want to report.
2. Tap  (iPhone) or  (Android) in the top right.
3. Tap Report and follow the on-screen instructions.

To report a product:

1. Go to the product page of the product you want to report.
2. Tap  (iPhone) or  (Android) in the top right.
3. Tap Report item and select a reason.

To report a post containing a tagged product:

1. Go to the post with a tagged product.
2. Tap  (iPhone) or  (Android) in the top right.
3. Tap Report and select a reason.

Keep in mind that your report is anonymous, and the account you’re reporting won’t know who filed it.

Lastly, be careful about buying items from Instagram Sellers. If you feel something is not right or the whole process seems off, follow your gut and report the account. Also, the products could be cheaper than the normal price, be alert they might be trying to entice you. Stay safe out there.