New scam: Instagram photos stolen to associate with XXX platforms, similar to OnlyFans

Internet scams are becoming more and more and fraudsters are constantly exploring new options. One of those is the theft of photos from Instagram to associate them with adult accounts, where the goal is to impersonate (phishing).

It only takes a few clicks to save images of the young women and resubmit them with a new name, however, for the people behind the content this action is an abuse.

Currently, the number of scams on Instagram is growing (by leaps and bounds) based on the use of phishing techniques. And new formats of scams are emerging. In principle, aimed at young women on Instagram, in this modality cybercriminals build accounts almost identical to the original ones, that is, clones.

To make it more credible that the profile of the associated pornographic site belongs to their victim, impersonators upload blurry images of women masturbating where their faces are not seen and their bodies are not well distinguished.

Such “clone” accounts link to a website (similar to OnlyFans, a popular platform that offers erotic and pornography content) that promises sexually explicit content, for which it is necessary to enter a credit card.

While this XXX content doesn't really exist, the effect of damage is twofold. On the one hand, it affects the online reputation of people who had their photos stolen, and on the other hand, it is embarrassing to explain to the inner or social circle that their credit card details were stolen when trying to pay for a subscription of pornographic content.

Faced with this situation, those affected must report the fake account, as well as ask for help from friends and acquaintances to do the same.

However, it should be borne in mind that reporting the account may not be that easy, as scammers usually block the original account, along with those of close friends. In addition, Instagram may delay its evaluation and deletion for up to several days or weeks. It only does so when there are complaints, it never does so proactively.

Facebook's social network has grown steadily since its launch in 2010. Globally, Instagram has more than 1 billion monthly active users. It is in third place, behind Facebook, Youtube and WeChat.

It is becoming increasingly complex and difficult to investigate this type of crime, and to determine the real identity and physical location. They are not usually in the country in which the victim is, jurisprudence and extradition are two concepts that cybercriminals know perfectly well.

To monitor if the image itself has been stolen, you need to run a reverse image search. In this regard, you have to click on the camera icon in a search engine box and upload a photo of the person. On the other hand, according to specialists, an effect that drives the growth of this modality is related to the fact that on many occasions, the victim does not report the real situation in which he was scammed.

It must be remembered that the double factor of authentication on the platform is key to adding one more security key and preventing hacks. As well as beware of phishing (phishing), as bank credentials could end up in the wrong hands.

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