How I Stopped My Instagram Impostor
After discovering someone had stolen my entire Instagram identity and was scamming my followers, I spent weeks fighting to get the account removed. Here's my personal story of what actually worked — and the expensive mistakes I made along the way.
"It started with a DM from a confused follower asking why I was suddenly selling cryptocurrency courses. I wasn't. Someone had created an almost perfect copy of my account and was actively scamming people using my name and photos."
The Shocking Discovery
It was a regular Tuesday morning when I opened Instagram to find several DMs asking about "my new crypto coaching program." My heart sank. I don't sell anything on Instagram, let alone cryptocurrency courses.
The impostor had done their homework. They'd copied my profile picture, bio, and even recreated my highlight covers. The username was nearly identical — just one underscore added to the end. If you weren't paying close attention, you'd think it was me.
🚨 The Damage Was Already Done
- • Over 3,000 followers on the fake account
- • At least 12 people had sent money for fake courses
- • My reputation was being destroyed
- • Friends were getting aggressive DMs from "me"
The worst part? Some of my actual followers had already unfollowed my real account and followed the fake one instead. The impostor was literally stealing my audience while damaging my reputation.
My Failed First Attempts
Day 1-3: The Basic Report
I immediately reported the account through Instagram's standard reporting feature. I was confident it would be removed within hours. I selected "Pretending to be someone else" and submitted the report.
Result: Nothing happened for 3 days.
Day 4-7: Getting Friends to Report
Frustrated, I posted about it on my story and asked all my friends to report the account. Within hours, over 50 people had reported it. Surely Instagram would notice now?
Result: Instagram responded that the account "didn't violate community guidelines."
Day 8-10: Desperation Sets In
I tried everything: commenting on the fake posts warning people, messaging the impostor (they blocked me), even trying to guess their password to delete the account myself. Meanwhile, they kept posting and scamming people.
Lesson: Don't waste time on these tactics. There's a better way.
The Breakthrough: What Actually Worked
💡 The Game Changer
After 10 days of frustration, I discovered Instagram has a completely different form specifically for identity theft — not just the regular reporting feature. This form requires ID verification but has a much higher success rate.
Step 1: Document Everything
Before filling out the form, I spent an hour documenting everything:
- • Screenshots of the fake profile, posts, and stories
- • Screenshots of scam messages they sent to my followers
- • Side-by-side comparisons showing the copying
- • URLs of both accounts
- • A timeline of when the impersonation started
Step 2: The Identity Verification Form
I found the official Instagram impersonation form (not the basic report button). It required:
- • A photo of my government ID
- • My real Instagram handle
- • The impostor's handle
- • A detailed description of the harm being caused
Key insight: I emphasized the financial fraud and immediate harm to others, not just that they were copying me.
Step 3: The Follow-Up That Sealed It
After submitting the form, I didn't just wait. Within 24 hours, I sent a follow-up with additional evidence:
- • Proof that people had sent money to the scammer
- • Messages from confused followers
- • Evidence that the impostor was damaging my professional reputation
✅ The Result
36 hours after submitting the identity form with proper documentation, I received an email from Instagram:
"We've removed the account you reported for pretending to be you."
The fake account was gone. Completely deleted. After nearly two weeks of stress, it was finally over.
Hard-Earned Lessons
✅ What Works
- • Use the official identity theft form, not basic reporting
- • Provide government ID immediately
- • Document financial harm and scamming
- • Include evidence of reputation damage
- • Follow up within 24-48 hours
- • Be specific about the harm to others
❌ What Doesn't Work
- • Basic in-app reporting (too slow)
- • Mass reporting campaigns
- • Trying to contact the impostor
- • Commenting warnings on their posts
- • Waiting for Instagram to "investigate"
- • Vague complaints about copying
⚡ My Biggest Regret
I wasted 10 days trying basic reporting and getting friends to help. If I had known about the identity verification form from day one, I could have stopped the impostor before they scammed anyone. Those people lost real money because I didn't know the right process.
How I Now Protect Myself
After this experience, I've completely changed how I approach account security:
1. Verification Badge
I applied for Instagram verification. While not everyone qualifies, having that blue checkmark makes it much harder for impostors to convince people they're me. The application process taught me what Instagram values in authentic accounts.
2. Regular Monitoring
Every week, I search for variations of my username on Instagram. Impostors often use patterns like adding underscores, dots, or numbers. I check combinations like:
- • myusername_
- • my.username
- • myusernameofficial
- • real_myusername
3. Educating My Audience
I regularly remind my followers that I'll never DM them about investments, courses, or money. I've added a highlight called "Scam Alert" that explains common impostor tactics. An educated audience is your best defense.
4. Quick Response Plan
I now have a document ready with all the information I'd need for the identity form: account details, ID photos, and templates for describing harm. If it happens again, I can act within hours, not days.
Final Thoughts
Dealing with an Instagram impostor was one of the most frustrating experiences I've had on social media. But it taught me valuable lessons about platform safety and the importance of knowing the right channels for help.
If you're going through this right now, I want you to know: you can stop them. Don't waste time like I did with basic reporting. Go straight to the identity verification form with strong documentation.
Most importantly, remember that this isn't your fault. Impostors target successful people with engaged audiences. The fact that someone wants to impersonate you means you've built something worth stealing. Don't let them take it from you.
💡 One final tip: After my experience, I started using Impostor.Social to monitor for fake accounts automatically. It would have saved me so much stress to catch that impostor on day one instead of day ten.
Don't Wait Until It's Too Late
I learned the hard way that impostors can appear at any time. Now I use automated monitoring to catch them immediately. You should too.