How to spot Instagram spam and stop it from reaching you (2024)

How to tell when you've received Instagram spam

In general, Instagram spam is easy to recognize, because it's probably something you didn't expect to receive and don't actually want. In most cases, these messages are trying to sell you something, literally or figuratively. Here are three tell-tale signs that you've encountered Instagram spam:

The message is trying to sell you something

First and foremost, most spam accounts on Instagram exist for one reason and one reason only: To sell you something. If you get a message that includes a sales pitch to purchase something, it's almost certainly spam.

It wants you to go to a website

Even if there's no sales pitch, if the message has a link to an external site, it's probably spam. Accounts exist solely to drive traffic to websites, many of them adult, explicit, unsecure, or otherwise nefarious in nature. As a general rule, it's a bad idea to ever tap a link in an Instagram message from someone you don't know.

The account has a low-quality profile

Spammers need to create a lot of accounts, and they often don't spend much time building the profile. Spam accounts tend not to look like accounts from real people because they won't have high-quality profile pictures, or the pictures will be obviously borrowed from stock photo services. You may also notice that there's no bio, and there's no meaningful engagement with the account, including few posts and few or no followers.

How to stop Instagram spam

If you're tired of being inundated with spam in your Instagram inbox, here are a few things you can do to slow the flow of spam into your account, or stop it entirely.

Block spam accounts

While this is akin to swatting flies one at a time, you can (and should) block spam accounts when you receive messages from them. This won't stem the flow of messages from other accounts, but it will keep you from getting more from each one you block. To block a spam account, open the message and tap the account name at the top of the page. On the account details page, tap Block account. In the pop up window, choose Block [the account name] and other accounts they may have or create, then tap Block.

Make your account private

You can also make your account somewhat harder for spammers to find. By default, your account is public and your posts will potentially appear to all Instagram users, making it easy for spammers to target you. But you can make your account private. If you do that, your account will be harder to find – only your approved followers will see your posts. It's not a perfect solution, though, because private accounts still appear in Instagram search results, so spammers can find and message you that way.

If you want to go private, though, tap your account icon at the bottom of the Instagram app and then tap the three-line menu at the top of the page. In the pop-up menu, tap Settings, then Privacy. Turn on Private account by swiping the button to the right, and confirm you want to do this in the pop-up window by tapping Switch to private.

Don't accept message requests

The last, and most effective solution, is to deny all message requests. The downside to this approach is that you won't be able to get messages from anyone, but it might be worth it if you get a lot of spam messages.

To enable this feature, tap your account icon at the bottom of the Instagram app and then tap the three-line menu at the top of the page. In the pop-up menu, tap Settings, then Privacy. Tap Messages. In the Potential connections section at the top of the page, tap Your followers on Instagram. In the Deliver requests to section, tap Don't receive requestsand confirm the change by tapping Update Settings.