Scammers extort Instagram creators with fake copyright claims — some paid ransoms

Several Instagram creators say their accounts were suspended or taken down following bogus copyright complaints. Extorters filed false claims to the Meta-owned platform and then demanded payments to withdraw them, aware that repeated claims can lead to bans.

One affected creator, who runs the Lost in Time History account with more than 1.5 million followers and gave his name as Olly, told the BBC he posts public-domain images or material he has permission to use but has received dozens of “obviously fake” complaints during 2026. He often said he was hit for multiple posts at once, all from the same email address.

Meta does not check the authenticity of complaints at the point of filing, so repeated hits can temporarily take an account down. Claimants contacted victims and asked them to move to Telegram, then demanded money — typically a few hundred dollars; the BBC has seen messages where claimants demand money or threaten further copyright strikes.

Olly said he ultimately paid an extorter $50 in cryptocurrency to restore his account because Meta’s appeals process, he said, would take weeks and had already cost him thousands in lost income. He said he was hit by more strikes immediately after paying and that his account was demonetised so he could not earn from high-performing posts.

Other users reported similar experiences. Abin Tom Sebastian of the Morbid Kuriosity account said Meta was not helpful and that the company offers 24/7 live chat support for Verified users who pay £9.99 per month.

Meta said its systems are designed to protect people and that, following review, it restored affected content and added protections to safeguard accounts. Instagram says only copyright holders or an authorised representative can report copyright infringement and advises affected users to contact rights holders directly.

The BBC spoke to three people who filed copyright strikes despite not being copyright holders; all three appear to be based in India or nearby countries. They deny holding accounts to ransom and say they file legitimate claims on behalf of rights holders. Law enforcement organisations tell extortion victims not to pay ransoms because it fuels the criminal ecosystem.