If you clicked a fake Instagram link and typed your login details, move fast. The longer you wait, the more time someone has to lock you out or send messages from your account. Don’t sit there refreshing the app and hoping it fixes itself.
Change your Instagram password right away if you still have access. Then change the password anywhere else you reused it. Yeah, reusing passwords feels convenient until a day like this. I’m firmly on the side of using different passwords.
If you can’t log in
Instagram has recovery options for hacked accounts. Follow the account recovery process and prove the account belongs to you. That part takes patience. Don’t trust random people online who promise they can get your account back for a fee.
Lock everything down before you relax
After you recover your account, turn on two factor authentication. It adds one more step when you sign in, though after a few days you stop noticing it. That’s a trade I’ll take every time.
• A fresh password, one you’ve never used before, because the old one is done
• Your email account matters just as much. If someone gets into that, recovering Instagram becomes much harder.
• Check the devices logged into your account, and remove anything that looks unfamiliar. Even if you’re only a little unsure.
• Those weird direct messages your friends mention. They weren’t harmless. Tell people not to click them.
Learn what caught you
Most phishing pages look convincing. That’s why they work. Maybe you got a message saying your account would be suspended. Maybe someone claimed you violated a rule. Fear pushes people into clicking before thinking, and that’s exactly what those scams depend on.
Next time, open Instagram directly instead of following links from messages or emails. It feels slower for about five seconds.