Alert! Mumbai woman loses Instagram account to hackers. Here’s how to protect it

Something similar happened to a 33-year old woman in Mumbai on 25 March. Read more below. 

The Mumbai woman’s travel business account was stolen by hackers on 25 March, which she understood after she received three WhatsApp texts from international numbers asking her to pay $150 to retrieve her Instagram account. 

The woman had lost access to her account and has not been able to retieve it yet. She has filed an FIR with Mumbai Police. She also suspects that the hackers are someone close to her or has been stalking her travel business company for long. 

“The hacker seems to know about the account which has got confidential clientele details and the company’s working profile which the person threatened to sell to others,” Times of India reported.

Khar Police have filed the case under IPC section 384 (extortion), 511 (penalty for attempting to commit acts punishable with life imprisonment), and section 43 (A) of the IT Act (compensation for failure to protect data).

Here’s how to protect your Instagram account

Meta’s Instagram accounts have gained popularity over other social media platforms recently. Instagram has been used for personal and professional use alike. This has also led to a significant surge in hackers stealing those accounts and blackmailing the owners .

Such a scenario calls for caution and a common knowledge as to how to protect one’s account. While Instagram can provide a site-wide protection, individuals can also follow certain steps to ensure higher security thereby protecting themselves from cybercrime. Read more to find out.

How to keep Instagram account safe 

-Always make sure to use passwords which are random and not related to you in any way. 

-Make sure the passwords have an alphanumeric pattern along with special characters to make it harder to guess. 

-Shorter passwords should be avoided. There should be a minimum of 8 characters in the password. 

-Change your passwords regularly.

-Multi-factor authentication is important. Make sure to add your phone number, email id and any other extra layer you can add to ensure nobody can access your account even if the password is compromised. 

-Never click a link online that you do not recognize or trust. Be specifically careful if it offers free gifts and rewards which seems too good to be true. 

-Never share your password with anyone or write it down under any circumstances.