5 signs to spot fake Instagram accounts
Fake accounts are a fact of life on social media. But how do you spot a fake Instagram account so that you don’t waste your time and (more importantly) don’t get scammed?
Instagram surpassed 3 billion monthly active users in 2025, making it one of the largest social platforms in the world alongside Facebook and WhatsApp. Estimates put the number of bot and fake accounts on the platform at roughly 95 million, or about 4 to 5 percent of monthly active users.
Of course, there are many possible reasons behind fake accounts, including:
- Selling fake products or services
- Impersonating others, also known as catfishing
- Inflating follower numbers
- Using bots for automated activity
- Running AI-generated persona accounts for scams or influence campaigns
Having too many fake Instagram accounts following you can drag down your engagement rate. It also can get your Instagram account potentially shut down since Instagram can assume that you’re buying followers, which goes against its terms of use.
In addition, by spotting fake Instagram accounts, you’ll better avoid typical scams, such as:
- Phishing, in which a fake account messages you a link and a reason to click on it. Doing so can install a virus that steals your login information and other data.
- False brand collaborations that aim to steal your bank account information.
- Fake competition prizes, loan offers and more that also aim to steal your bank account information.
- Emotional scams, where the scammer attempts to get close to you and earn your trust as a friend or romantic interest in hopes of being sent money later on.
Fortunately, fake Instagram accounts aren’t terribly difficult to identify. However, the appearance of fake accounts can vary depending on the purpose and the people behind them. The following are five signs for you to spot a fake Instagram account.
| Sign | What to look for |
|---|---|
| 1. Thin or odd profile | No bio, no profile photo, or a name with swapped characters |
| 2. No original posts | Little to no content, or posts that are all promotional or recycled |
| 3. Followers but no engagement | High follower count paired with few, spammy or irrelevant comments |
| 4. Lopsided follow ratio | Following thousands of accounts while having very few followers, or the reverse |
| 5. Suspiciously new account | All posts uploaded around the same recent date |
Examine the Instagram account
A good place to start is by looking at the suspected account’s Instagram bio. Because fake accounts often are created en masse, there likely will be no bio description or a very generic one.
Often, photos are stolen from real people. Running a reverse image search on such tools as Google Images or Social Catfish can help you identify stolen photos (and the real account that’s the source of the photos). Depending on those search results, you can better understand whether an Instagram account is fake or not.
Of course, the lack of any profile photo is a sign of a fake account as well.
Also, take a look at the account name. If a few characters or letters have been changed (or if the account name seems odd in general), it’s likely a fake Instagram account.
RecommendedAI image generation has made stolen or synthetic profile photos harder to catch with a glance. If a photo looks a little too polished or symmetrical, run it through a reverse image search before assuming it belongs to a real person.
No original posts found
Most fake Instagram accounts either rarely or never post. Remember, bot accounts are created at a high volume to boost follower counts. So, posting content isn’t a concern for many fake accounts.
Granted, not everyone posts a ton on Instagram. But when leveraged with other red flags: If a suspected account has little to no posts, it’s likely fake. If the profile is private, you can still see the post count as a visible number at the top of the account’s profile.
If there are some posts, they may consist entirely of promotional content and suspicious giveaways. They also might be of different people in the sense that photos of attractive women who look similar but are not the same person. Either way, be wary of these types of posts. They’re likely indicative of a fake account.
High number of followers but low engagement
Fake accounts can easily buy lots of followers and likes to help look like they are popular, real accounts. But dig through the liked posts. Are there any comments? If so, what do those comments say? Irrelevant or spammy comments don’t count.
Low-quality engagement is a clear sign of purchased followers, and while real accounts can buy followers too, it’s a red flag for fake accounts, for sure.
On the flip side, having zero followers is a sign of a fake account as well.
Following a high number of accounts
Bots often are set to follow thousands of Instagram accounts, so a high following count can also be a red flag that the account you’re looking at is fake. Keep an eye out for an out-of-whack following-to-follower ratio.
On the flip side, the account could be following zero other accounts, which could signal a fake account as well.
Relatively new account
Unlike Facebook, which can show a “joined” date on profiles, you’ll have to dig a little bit to understand whether a potentially fake Instagram account is fairly new.
Start looking through available posts (if there are any). If they’re all pretty new and/or batches of photos have been uploaded at about the same time, it’s likely the account is fake.
In conclusion
If you find that an Instagram account is obviously fake, you can easily report it by navigating to the account’s profile, clicking on the three dots on the right side of the screen and selecting “Report.” Follow the instructions given.
Reporting can help reduce the number of fake Instagram accounts following you if you’re noticing a high occurrence of those.
Beyond reporting fake accounts, you’ll also be able to save yourself and/or your brand the time and hassle of potentially being scammed.
Fake accounts are also one of the biggest threats to your own brand’s Instagram presence if impersonators start using your name or photos. If that happens to you, see our seven tips to get verified on Instagram, which covers how to document and report impersonator profiles.
Check out the 14 biggest mistakes companies make on Instagram so that you can avoid them. You can also grow your Instagram followers the right way with these seven tools, or see whether a Business or Creator account is the right setup for your brand.
While you’re examining potential fake Instagram accounts, consider leveling up your digital marketing process. DailyStory features automation, dynamic audience segmentation and more. Schedule your free demo with us today.