Scammers demand ransoms from Instagram users over fake copyright claims

Olly paid $50 in cryptocurrency to restore his Instagram account after it was temporarily disabled, only to receive additional copyright strikes immediately afterward. Law enforcement agencies advise extortion victims not to pay ransoms, warning that doing so fuels the broader criminal ecosystem. Olly described the payment as a "last resort," saying it was quicker than navigating Meta’s processes, which could take weeks. "That's the worst part," helium said. "Having to wage the idiosyncratic who's actively enactment you done each of that anguish lone for it to hap consecutive distant again." As a result of repeated copyright claims, Olly’s account was demonetised, preventing him from earning revenue from high‑performing posts. "There's nary probe into abuse, oregon strategy detection [from Meta] that it could beryllium abuse," helium said. Other creators reported similar difficulties. Abin Tom Sebastian, who runs the Morbid Kuriosity account, said, "Meta was not adjuvant passim the full process, forcing you to wage for enactment to talk, adjacent arsenic they assertion to beryllium present for the creator," said Abin Tom Sebastian, who is down the Morbid Kuriosity account. He added, "I mislaid irrecoverable and crucial, marque contracts that unluckily moved up with different creator, and nary reassurance oregon enactment from Meta saying this volition not hap again," Sebastian said. Meta charges a £9.99 monthly fee for its Verified badge on Instagram, which provides 24/7 access to support via live chat. Instagram’s help page states that only copyright holders or their authorised representatives may file infringement reports, advising affected users to contact rights holders directly. After the BBC contacted Meta with examples from Olly and other account holders, the company said it had applied additional protections to those accounts to prevent similar issues in the future. Meta said it continues to combat deceptive behaviour aimed at scamming or defrauding individuals and businesses.