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How to Catch a Scammer on Instagram (2023)

clock Updated: December 30, 2022

How to Catch a Scammer on Instagram (2023)

Reverse Username Search

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Enter IG username to find owner’s name & address

Instagram is hands down the most popular social network with the largest user base. And there’s almost no cost for creating multiple accounts, making it a unique hotbed for online scams. If you happen to meet a scammer on Instagram, before reporting the account, you may use the following methods to find more information on the scammer.

Method 1: Reverse lookup the username

First you need to find more information about the suspicious account, and you can do that with some reverse engineering tricks like looking up the Instagram username. We tend to use the same username from site to site, so there’s a great chance you can track someone online by searching with a username.

1. BeenVerified

BeenVerified is a powerful people search engine that can help you track someone’s digital footprint. It provides a reverse username search where you’ll be able to search millions of social media records. By searching with an Instagram username, you may figure out the person’s real name, phone numbers, current address and potential accounts on 50 other social networks.

  1. Go to the Beenverified search page.
  2. Enter the Instagram username and click Search.
    BeenVerified username search
  3. Wait for BeenVerified to search the social media database. Once it locates a match, it’ll generate a report containing all the available information about the username, which may reveal the user’s name, contact info and address history.

2. Spokeo

Spokeo is a popular search engine that hosts a wealth of social media data. Like BeenVerified, it’s one of the few that supports reverse username search and returns results in minutes. With a focus on social media, Spokeo can help you find all the available information associated with a username.

  1. Go to Spokeo.
  2. Enter the Instagram username and click Search.
  3. Spokeo will come up with the report in minutes, which may reveal the user’s real name, address history and available contact info.

Method 2: Reverse lookup the image

Aside from usernames, you may also track the person online by looking up related images. And that could mean IG Stories, profile images and . You can use a face search engine to find similar results, which could help you gain more insights about the scammer.

1. Social Catfish

Social Catfish is a dating investigation service featuring a reverse image search. It uses AI technology to help you recognize a given face and potentially uncover the person’s identity. By looking up an image you may easily figure out who the Instagram user is and where they live.

  1. Go to the Social Catfish search page.
  2. Upload an image of the Instagram account and click Search.
  3. Wait for Social Catfish to scan the database. It’ll show you the potential matches once it locates similar results. The report will contain similar images, the person’s name, available contact info and profiles on social media and dating sites.

2. Pimeyes

Pimeyes is a free service that goes through the internet to find similar matches of a given picture. Though it doesn’t return social media results, it’s said to be one of the most accurate facial-recognition tools that definitely worth trying.

  1. Go to PimEyes.
  2. Click Upload a photo to upload the picture. (You can also search with the image URL.)
  3. PimEyes would filter some of the similar images, and it won’t include results from social networks. But it’s more likely you’ll find the original website of the picture, which may help you figure out the scammer’s identity.

Method 3: Use an IP sniffing tool

Unless you’re an IT specialist, finding the IP address may not help you catch the scammer right off the bat, but it’ll be an important piece of information to gain insights about the scammer’s location. You can use online services like Grabify to sniff the scammer’s IP address for free.

By looking up the IP address online, you’ll learn the approximate location such as cities and latitudes.
  1. First you need to prepare a normal link as the destination. For example you can use a YouTube video link.
  2. Go to Grabify. Paste the link in the box and click Create URL.
  3. Grabify will generate a tracking link (see New URL). But we’re not ready yet. To make your link look normal, click View Other link Shorteners.
  4. Choose a shortener to generate a new shortened tracking link.
  5. Send the link to the scammer on Instagram. You can improvise the message to get the click.
  6. When someone clicks the link, you’ll see the logged IP address on Grabify.

What to do if you’re scammed

The common signs of being scammed include financial loss or data breaches. If you lost money or gave up sensitive information, first report the scammer on Instagram and consider filing a police report if the amount is huge. You should also take immediate measures to secure your account, which may include changing the password and enabling two-factor authentication.

If you want peace of mind, consider signing up for identity theft protection services like Norton LifeLock or IdentityForce. They’ll help you keep an eye out for accounts created in your name, monitor data leaks containing your information and alert you of suspicious transactions and credit score changes.

exclamation-blueThere’s no guarantee you’ll find the information you’re looking for with the tools discussed in this article. They all source their information from publicly available data sources, such as county, state and federal courts, government departments, and police records, and those sources may contain incorrect or incomplete data. It’s illegal to use these tools to make decisions about employment, admission, consumer credit, insurance, tenant screening, or any other purpose that would require FCRA compliance. Read the Fair Credit Reporting Act to learn more....

About this article

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Marcus brings a wealth of expertise to SuperEasy with his diverse background. Over the past three years, he has contributed hundreds of insightful articles on various topics such as technology, deal hunting, and life hacks. With a strong expertise in technology, he has helped many readers troubleshoot technical issues and tackle other real world challenges. In addition to his in-depth computer knowledge, Marcus is also a dab hand at programming and web development, which makes him a pro at online research and data mining.

Outside of work, he manages dozens of cloud servers and homelabs, which gives him valuable insights into networking and cybersecurity yet constantly keeps him awake at night. Apart from his technology background, Marcus is also a seasoned fitness enthusiast with seven years of experience in crafting tailored fitness and diet plans. Financial-wise, he's well-versed in the world of credit cards. With a passion for personal finance he is always on the hunt for tricks to maximize rewards and save money.

About this article

round-success 6 Revisions

file-success Reviewed by BeenVerified

Marcus brings a wealth of expertise to SuperEasy with his diverse background. Over the past three years, he has contributed hundreds of insightful articles on various topics such as technology, deal hunting, and life hacks. With a strong expertise in technology, he has helped many readers troubleshoot technical issues and tackle other real world challenges. In addition to his in-depth computer knowledge, Marcus is al [...]

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