Instagram users face ransom demands over fake copyright claims – BBC News
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Scammers demand ransoms from Instagram users over fake copyright claims
Image source: Reuters
By Imran Rahman-Jones, Technology reporter
Published 16 minutes ago
Instagram creators say they have lost thousands of pounds after their accounts were suspended or taken down due to fake copyright claims. Extorters have filed bogus claims to the Meta-owned social media platform, then asked for ransoms to withdraw them – knowing repeated claims can lead to account bans.
One Instagram user, who has 1.5 million followers, told the BBC he paid a scammer $50 (£37) to get his account back, claiming Meta’s appeal process would take weeks, which had previously cost him thousands in lost income.
"We understand this can be frustrating for those impacted, and our systems are designed to protect people from this happening in the first place," a Meta spokesperson said. "Following our review, we have restored the affected content and added additional protections to safeguard accounts against further attempts of this kind."
However, content creators the BBC has spoken to say Meta is poor at identifying obviously spurious cases, and say its appeals process is slow to respond unless you pay a monthly fee.
‘Obviously fake’
The Lost in Time History Instagram account posts historical pictures to its more than 1.5 million followers. Its creator Olly (who did not share his last name) told the BBC he posts pictures in the public domain or where he has permission from the rights holder. Yet he has received dozens of "obviously fake" copyright complaints so far in 2026.
Meta does not check the authenticity of complaints when they are made, so if someone is hit repeatedly, their account can be temporarily taken down. Olly says he often gets struck for multiple posts at a time, all from the same email address. He then gets contacted by the person asking to go on to the private messaging app Telegram.
"They’ll demand a certain amount of money," he said – usually amounting to a few hundred dollars – to withdraw the claim.
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Olly ultimately agreed to pay an extorter $50 in cryptocurrency to restore his account, which had been temporarily taken down by Instagram. Law enforcement organisations tell extortion victims not to pay ransoms as it fuels the criminal ecosystem. Olly said he paid as a "last resort" because it was quicker than going through Meta, which could take weeks. But he was hit by more copyright strikes immediately after he paid.
"That’s the worst part," he said. "Having to pay the person who’s actively put you through all of that anguish only for it to happen straight away again." As a result of the number of times he has been hit by copyright claims, Olly’s account was demonetised, meaning he could not earn money from his content.
