Security News > 2024 > January > Meta won't remove fake Instagram profiles used for obvious catfishing
The problem seems to have gotten much worse on Instagram over the past year with its parent company Meta falling short of effectively tackling fake profiles even when there are sufficient signs to indicate that a profile is misusing someone else's photos and identity.
In our investigation, BleepingComputer observed instances where reporting fake profiles that impersonated an internet personality or a public figure concluded in such reports being dismissed after being processed, at least in part, through what appeared to be an automated decision-making system.
We were further surprised to learn that even after appealing the decision, the outcome stayed and the fake profiles in question have still not been removed from the platform.
While the name didn't turn up anything interesting, a quick Google Lens reverse-image search led me to a Twitter account Thiago Qualhato, and an authentic Instagram account with close to 18,000 followers.
Instagram decided not to remove the fake account after a review that appears to be facilitated by "Technology" at least in part-given the request's relatively fast turnaround time.
For private accounts, refrain from accepting follow requests from profiles that seem suspicious, are too 'new', have limited or no posts and followers, or otherwise are of questionable authenticity.