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Fake Instagram shop

Nice photos, a low price and “only two left”. You pay — and the shop stops answering. Here is how to spot such a page before you send money.

8-minute read

Making a fake shop takes one evening: someone else's photos, bought followers and a private person's card. The page works for a few weeks, collects money and disappears. Then the same people start again under a new name.

The main rule

Do not send money to an unknown shop in advance, by bank transfer.

Ask to pay on delivery, or pay by card. Money transferred to a private person is almost impossible to get back.

How a fake shop works

  1. An ad or a “random” postYou see an item that costs twice as much elsewhere.
  2. A fast and polite answerThey write that the item is in stock, but these are “the last ones” and you have to hurry.
  3. Payment in advanceThey ask you to send the money to a private person's card. They refuse payment on delivery.
  4. SilenceAfter you pay, the answers stop, and then they block you.

Where the account history is shown

Instagram itself shows you how old an account is and what it was called before. This is the most reliable sign, because it cannot be faked.

  1. Open the shop's profileIn the app, not in a browser.
  2. Tap the three dotsIn the top right corner of the screen.
  3. Choose “About this account”It shows when the account was created, which country it is run from and what it was called before.

Suspicious

  • The account is a few weeks or months old but has thousands of followers
  • The name has been changed several times
  • The account is run from another country, although it presents itself as a shop in your country

Normal

  • The account is several years old
  • The name has not changed, or changed once
  • The country matches what the shop says about itself

If this option is not shown, that is not a bad sign: Instagram does not show it on every account. Then see when the first post went up.

9 signs that a shop is fake

One sign proves nothing yet. Three together are already reason enough not to send money.

  1. The account is new

    A shop that has been “on the market for years”, but put up its first post two weeks ago.

  2. The name has been changed

    Yesterday it was a clothing page, today it sells phones. This is how ready-made accounts are sold, together with their followers.

  3. Many followers, few reactions

    20,000 followers and five likes on a post. In a real shop, buyers ask questions and tag the shop in their photos.

  4. Comments are turned off

    Or they are on, but only identical praise is written. A fake shop deletes an unhappy buyer's comment straight away.

  5. The price is too low

    A new phone at half price, branded shoes for a third. Nobody sells a real item at such a price.

  6. Payment only in advance, to a private person's card

    They refuse payment on delivery, and the money goes not to a company account but to someone's personal card. Often that card belongs to another person who was cheated.

  7. The photos are someone else's

    The pictures are taken from a catalogue, carry another shop's watermark, or were all shot on different backgrounds. Ask for a live video of the item: a real shop needs a minute for that.

  8. No address and no return policy

    No physical address, no company name, nothing on what happens if you do not like the item. Contact only by private message.

  9. They rush you

    “Only two left”, “the discount ends in an hour”. The hurry is there so that you have no time to check.

In one sentence: a new account, a low price and a transfer in advance all together — do not pay.

Before you pay: the 60-second check

Five things that will help with any shop.

  1. See the account's age and old namesThree dots → About this account.
  2. Search for the nameType the shop's name into a search engine together with the word “scam” or “fraud”. People who were cheated often write about it.
  3. Check the photoSave the picture of the item and search by image. If ten other shops have the same photo, they do not have this item.
  4. Ask for a live videoThe video should show the item and a sheet of paper with today's date on it. A refusal is an answer too.
  5. Ask to pay on deliveryIf they find every possible reason for you to transfer the money in advance, do not buy.

If there is a site link in the profile, paste it into Horkos. We will see how old the site is and whether it is on lists of fraudulent sites.

If you have already paid

The first hours matter a lot.

It is not your fault. Such pages are made to look real. The faster you act, the better the chance of getting the money back.

  1. Call your bankSay that you are a victim of fraud, and ask for the transfer to be stopped or for the amount to be disputed. Use the number written on the back of the card.
  2. Keep the evidenceScreenshots of the messages, the profile's name and link, the card number you transferred to, and the receipt. Do this before they block you.
  3. Go to the policeTake everything you saved. Your report protects the next buyer too.
  4. Report it to InstagramThree dots on the profile → Report, and choose that it is a scam. The more people report it, the faster the page is closed.
  5. Be careful with “money recovery” offersWhoever writes in the comments that they will get your money back for an upfront fee is part of the same scheme.

Checklist

You can print it (Ctrl+P) or send it to someone close to you.

Before you pay

  • I saw how old the account is
  • The name has not been changed many times
  • Comments are on and look real
  • The price roughly matches the market price
  • I saw a live video of the item
  • Paying on delivery is possible
  • The money goes to a company, not to an unknown private person

If you have already paid

  • I called my bank
  • I kept the messages and the receipt
  • I went to the police
  • I reported the page to Instagram
  • I warned the people close to me

Frequently asked questions

The shop has 30,000 followers. Does that mean it is real?

No. Buying followers is cheap and takes a few minutes. Look at how many people react to the posts: if there are thousands of followers but five or ten likes, the followers are bought.

Everyone asks for payment in advance. Is that always a bad sign?

Not always. Real shops sometimes ask for payment in advance too. It is suspicious when it is the only way: paying on delivery is not possible, and the money has to go to a private person's card rather than a company account.

I do not see “About this account”. What should I do?

Instagram does not show this option on every account. Not having it means nothing by itself. In that case, rely on the other signs: when the first post went up, what people write in the comments and how they ask you to pay.

I transferred the money and the item did not arrive. Will I get it back?

That depends on how you paid. If you paid by card, your bank can start a dispute for the amount. If you sent the money by bank transfer to a private person, getting it back is much harder — but still contact your bank and the police immediately.

This article is for information only. It does not replace legal or financial advice.