Instagram hacks get sophisticated: How bad actors target everyday accounts | PIX11

by: Arnold Diaz Posted: Oct 7, 2021 / 09:23 PM EDT / Updated: Oct 7, 2021 / 10:54 PM EDT MANHATTAN — In the 12 years Arsen Gurgov has owned the Arsen Gurgov Hair Salon on E. 60th Street and Madison Avenue, he’s built up a large client base — and a very large Instagram following.   He had 17,000 followers on his verified account — meaning Instagram has determined it’s a legitimate account with legitimate followers, therefore making the account more valuable. He spent thousands of dollars a month posting videos on Instagram videos of him cutting clients hair with the latest fashionable styles. Then, one day three months ago, his Instagram account disappeared with no notice of how to get it back.  “I got a text message on WhatsApp stating that your account is permanently disabled,” Gurgov said. “It didn’t look suspicious — it just told me that I should verify myself because my Instagram account was under investigation for whatever reason…” Panicked, he contacted both Instagram and WhatsApp, both of which are owned by Facebook.   “I can’t get in touch with anybody from Instagram” he said. “There should be a way for Instagram to recover your account.” Apparently, so far for…
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