Instagram users face ransom demands over fake copyright claims

Olly ultimately agreed to pay an extorter $50 in cryptocurrency to restore his account, which had been temporarily taken down by Instagram.

Law enforcement organisations tell extortion victims not to pay ransoms as it fuels the criminal ecosystem.

Olly said he paid as a “last resort” because it was quicker than going through Meta, which could take weeks.

But he was hit by more copyright strikes immediately after he paid.

“That’s the worst part,” he said.

“Having to pay the person who’s actively put you through all of that anguish only for it to happen straight away again.”

As a result of the number of times he has been hit by copyright claims, Olly’s account was demonetised, meaning he could not earn money from Instagram for high-performing posts.

“There’s no investigation into abuse, or system detection [from Meta] that it could be abuse,” he said.

Other Instagram users have shared similar experiences.

“Meta was not helpful throughout the entire process, forcing you to pay for support to talk, even as they claim to be here for the creator,” said Abin Tom Sebastian, who is behind the Morbid Kuriosity account.

Meta charges a £9.99 monthly fee to be Verified on Instagram, which gives users 24/7 access to support via a live chat.

“I lost irrecoverable and crucial, brand contracts that unfortunately moved ahead with another creator, and no reassurance or support from Meta saying this will not happen again,” Sebastian said.

Instagram says, external only copyright holders, or an authorised representative, can report copyright infringement, and it advises affected users to contacted rights holders directly.

After the BBC contacted Meta with examples from Olly and other account holders, Meta said it had applied additional protections to their accounts, which it said would prevent similar issues happening in the future.

It said it fought against deceptive behaviour to scam or defraud people and businesses.