My Instagram was HACKED!

July 2nd 2020, I received a collaboration email from a “company” claiming to want to work with me. This is a shot of the email.

My instincts told me not to waste my time looking at it, but I did anyway.

The link went to this…

On my phone I didn’t notice that the url wasn’t right or that the year was wrong. If had forgotten my password and clicked Login with Facebook I would have noticed that button doesn't work. The only button that does work is the login button. This is what it should have looked like...

I didn’t realize this until the next day when I was trying to figure out how to get back into my account and I pulled it up on my laptop.

I logged into to IG via the Chrome app in my phone and right after I did that I got the following emails.

They got my info via that dummy link (not sure if that’s really what its called) and immediately logged in, changed my info, and disabled my account to lock me out.

Afterwards they sent this

My heart dropped! I went back to the emails IG sent and clicked "secure your account" and it went to a blank page. I spent hours trying to report and email IG figure out how to hack my own account. I made a new account and starting tagging everyone I know and when I say the love is real I mean it! I had over 400 followers in less than a day on that account. Everyone was reposting and trying to help me figure out how to get my account back. I was literally crying all day because I was overwhelmed and grateful for all the support and I kept remembering everything I had posted on my account for the last 8 years. My instagram is literally a blog of my life and alot of those memories I don't have stored anywhere else. Kyrees first words, steps, reading, etc, Naeems birth, elimination communication, baby sign language, cloth diapering, babywearing, breastfeeding, etc... Videos of me with my children living our best lives all of this I plan to share with them when they grow up. I was a mess...

Meanwhile I was receiving these emails

Its hard to your report your instagram account as hacked when its disabled.

I reported it two different ways and I lost count how many times.

I had to hit need more help because my email was no longer attached to my account...

And hit need more help again because the changed my Email, phone number and my facebook wasn't connected because my IG was disabled.

Until I got to this page...

This was email I had been hoping to get because in the app this is the way they say to recover your account. I quickly wrote down the code, my name, and username, took a photo and sent it in explaining what had happened and detailing info only I know about my account.

This however is not how I got back into my account. Remember I mentioned my whole insta family being clutch? One of my friends sent me my account because it had been reactivated so I could actually see it now. After going through all the ways to report to IG again that my account was hacked (because there were a few options I didn't have when it was disabled) I decided to try that first secure your account link they sent when my password was changed. It worked and sent a code to my phone and I got back in and changed all my info back!

Again I cried ya'll the amount of relief... I am so thankful to everyone how tried to help and who supported me ya'll my IG fam is amazing!!

I still haven't gotten anything back from facebook...

This is the email I received the next morning after I had recovered my account and added two-step authentication to my account.

I guess they think they still have access to my account... I have sooooo many words for them, but they have taken enough of my energy so I'm done. If you're reading this and your account has been hacked I hope this helps and you're literally the reason I typed all of this out. Nobody should have to go through this and I will now forever be paranoid asf from this whole thing. If you haven't been hacked please make sure you have the 2 step verification turned on, don't log into anything but the app, and always check the URL when using a web browser. I hope this helps and nobody has to go through this again!