Cybersecurity Experts Warn Against New Email Phishing Scam Where Hackers Pose As Instagram

A new phishing scam is on the rise since late July and cybersecurity experts are issuing an immediate warning against it.

If you happen to be getting a bizarre email that confirms your verification on an app like Instagram, beware because the chances of it being a scam are incredibly high.

Thanks to a new report by VadeSecure, which is a leading firm for cybersecurity, we’re getting details about the scam that began in July 2022. A lot of users have been getting all sorts of emails surrounding the same theme.

Hackers are posing as people from Instagram and that just makes it impossible to detect, one expert explained. Moreover, the email could also be seen confirming a user’s profile getting reviewed and approved for final verification.

For the subject line, you’ll see the title, ‘ig blue-badge info’ arise and the email address would be linked to ‘ig badges’. At first, some users would feel the email is very real and true, as both logos from Meta’s Facebook and Instagram can be seen arising. These are spotted on the top and the bottom of the mail.

These smart tactics used by hackers are clear evidence that they’re doing everything in their power to trick the user into thinking it’s as real as can be. But the truth is far from that as the intent is nothing but malicious.

But there are several misspellings seen and very evident formatting mistakes that don’t require a specialist to detect.

The phishing scam is the name given to a huge issue where hackers make use of bait such as in this case, where the chance is to achieve verification across Instagram. This way, victims end up clicking malicious links and plugging in their personal details too. And the interesting part is how the scams usually occur through emails and that’s why security software has trouble blocking or filtering these.

Instagram is also very well aware of all this. They mentioned recently in their Help Center that the whole process linked to verification occurs through this application and never through emails. Hence, those receiving such bogus emails need to be informed about the hackers behind them.

And requests for verification are not applied to everyone. Instead, they are for those including celebs, brands, or a particular public figure. Hence, if and when you do receive such things, the best thing to do is ignore them and then delete them.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World