AN INSTAGRAM user was forced to pay hundreds of dollars to get her account back from hackers.
Former superyacht captain Victoria Melhuish was the victim of a scam allegedly carried out by college students who made her pay $300 to regain access to her Instagram account, @funkymoet.
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Melhuish’s account, which has nearly 20,000 followers, revolves around Melhuish’s shorkipoo Moet and dog-friendly places around the world.
The account recently began receiving messages and emails from Instagram asking her to verify her account, all of which Melhuish ignored.
After receiving an email that appeared legitimate, Melhuish followed the link to verify her account, but suddenly realized she had been scammed.
“On the Instagram app, I was often asked if I wanted our account to be ‘verified,’” Melhuish said.
“Then I received an email ‘from Meta’, which seemed completely legitimate – just like the notification I was receiving in the app.”
“I clicked on the email and that’s how the hackers came in and started blackmailing me.”
The scammers sent Melhuish a threatening email, holding her Instagram account hostage until she paid a $300 fee.
“I briefly hacked your Instagram account and want to make a deal with you. If we make a deal, I will return your Instagram account,” the hacker’s email began.
“I’m not a bad person, I’m a college student studying computer engineering. I live separately from my family, so I need money.”
The hacker described his financial situation and how the ransom will help both the hacker and the Instagram account owner.
They promised to return the account if the money was paid and even attached screenshots of conversations with other accounts they hacked and returned.
“Also, if you don’t respond to me, I will unfortunately have to sell your account to someone else,” the hacker said before providing his bank account number and information.
Melhuish reluctantly paid the threatening thief via cryptocurrency and was immediately given access to his account.
However, Melhuish’s account was returned to her with new login details created by the hacker.
After struggling to recover his account, Melhuish logged in only to realize that the account had been banned for suspicious activity.
To unban his account, Melhuish fought a battle with Instagram developer Meta Platforms.
Ultimately, Melhuish said she felt stupid for falling for a scam.
The Federal Trade Commission advises those who believe they have been victims of fraud to report the fraud via FTC website.
Bank tips to avoid scams
As scams become more sophisticated with the use of artificial intelligence, it is important that you know how to identify them:
- Be skeptical of online businesses that seem too good to be true, especially on social media.
- Scammers often use tactics to make you panic so that you make quick decisions – be cautious if you are asked to take immediate action and check who has contacted you.
- Chase Bank warns customers to “never return any unexpected funds without calling Chase first.”
- Never send money to someone you’ve only spoken to online or on the phone, as this is likely a romantic scam.
- Unless you know 100% who you are talking to, never give someone remote access to your device.
- Never accept help from strangers at ATMs and always be careful when making withdrawals.
- Do not send money or click on links that indicate you have won a prize.
Source: Chase.com
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
