Many people reported encountering fake accounts on Instagram, which misused their names and photos and even tried to connect with their friends. While reporting is the most effective way of dealing with impersonations or harassment, some users, who have an inkling about the potential culprit, seek to confirm their suspicions and gather solid evidence¹. 

In other cases, people noticed anonymous users with seemingly fake names consistently viewed their IG stories². Before opting to block them, you may want to uncover their true identity. In this post, we’ll explore various methods to verify an IG profile and find out the person behind it.

Method 1 – Reverse search the username

If an Instagram account is created by a real person, it may leave some trails across the Internet and people search engines, which crawl public records and social media data, may help you recognize the owner.

Option 1 – BeenVerified

BeenVerified is a leading people search engine that offers access to critical public records and in-depth social network data without hassle. Simply input someone’s username and this tool may reveal the real identity of the account holder together with a plethora of relevant details.

Search Now >>

Simply visit the BeenVerified search page to conduct a search.

The searching process may take about 5 minutes. Once done, you may see who’s the potential owner of the IG account and also the person’s real name, contact information, possible photos, address history, other social media accounts, etc.

Option 2 – PeopleLooker

PeopleLooker is another reputable and easy-to-use tool to unmask social profiles and usernames. Crawling a massive amount of data points from public records and commercial sources, it allows you to look up anyone you met online through their IG account, Twitter handle, or other usernames.

Enter Username >>

Searching on PeopleLooker is as simple as a few steps. On the search page, enter an Instagram username, click Search, and wait for the full report.

The results will identify the owner of the IG account and display their photos, phone numbers, emails, etc. If you want to learn more about the person, click Search person and you’ll unlock more personal and background details.  

Option 3 – Social Catfish

As a dating investigative service, Social Catfish specializes in verifying information like images, social media profiles, phone numbers, and so on. Its AI-based reverse image search, relying on advanced proprietary technology, is capable of spotting fake images and recognizing romance scammers, cheaters or impersonators.

Upload Image

Go straight to the Social Catfish homepage. It provides two different ways to search for an IG account, by username or by image. Choose your preferred option, fill in the required field, and click Search. 

The engine will start scanning for the matching accounts or images and provide you with up-to-date identifying information when available. From the results, you’ll know whether someone is using fake pictures and whether they’re who they claim to be.

Method 2 – Perform a free Google Search

Google is helpful whenever you want to find something online. Visit Google and search for the IG username in the search bar. If it’s linked to a webpage, post, or online account, you could dig deep to see if they reveal any clues about the account’s identity.

There are also cases when we need to verify the images on Instagram. For example, a forum user received comments from an unknown Instagram account, expressing interest in painting the user’s portrait and asking for one of her photos. Feeling uncertain, she wanted to figure out if the user was fraudulent and if the artworks on that account were stolen³.

Google can also be a handy tool for this . Simply by uploading the Instagram photos to Google Images to trace its sources, you’re able to trace its sources. If the picture appears to be a stock image and belongs to another owner, you’ve got your answer. 

You may also cross-reference the results from TinEye and Yandex for more details.

Method 3 – Use the forgot password trick

This is a discreet but simple method that allows you to discover the partial phone number or email address linked to an IG account. If you suspect the account belongs to someone you know, you may identify it by recognizing this information.

1) Identify the potential fake account and copy the username.

2) Go to your Instagram profile page. Tap your username on the top left corner.

3) Tap Add Instagram account in the pop-up window. 

4) Tap Log into existing account.

5) Tap Forgot password.

6) Paste the username and tap Next.

7) You’ll see the partial email/phone number linked to the Instagram account. 

Method 4 – Watch out for warning signs of fake accounts

Personally, I will navigate through an unfamiliar profile to assess its authenticity before connecting with it on Instagram. And most of the fake accounts, whether created by automated bots or real scammers, are poorly made and relatively easy to recognize.

• Suspicious profiles. A vague bio or an empty avatar is a red flag, and if a profile is good to be true, it usually is.
• No or few posts, or if the content is primarily promotional.
• Low engagement, such as few likes or comments, or the comments are generic or nonsensical.
• A large number of followers but most don’t look real, with blank profile pictures or no posts. If the account boasts thousands of followers, but there is minimal content, it’s also possibly fake.
• They’re following a lot of accounts, much more than the number of followers.
• The account was created recently.

What to do with a fake Instagram account

If you confirm that an Instagram account is fraudulent or find that yourself is being impersonated, don’t hesitate to report it to Instagram. You can do this directly from their profile page, by tapping the three dots icon at the top right and clicking Report.

If you’ve been blocked by that account, you could report it directly here without logging in. Get your friends to report the profile as well, which will help with the process.

So that’s it – how to find out the owner of a fake Instagram account. If you have the same experience of catching a fake Instagram account, feel free to share your comment below.

1. r/techsupport [htt312162]. (2020, October 29). Is there a way to trace a fake Instagram account? [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport/comments/jk3f9k/is_there_a_way_to_trace_a_fake_instagram_account/ ↩︎
2. r/AskReddit [foxmasterflex]. (2023, March 4). How can you figure out who made a fake Instagram account? [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/11jpc2c/comment/jb3sm3c/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button ↩︎
3. r/Instagram [anon-honeybee]. (2023, January 19). How to tell if an account is fake/fraudulent? [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/Instagram/comments/10fjnfe/how_to_tell_if_an_account_is_fakefraudulent/ ↩︎

Featured image by juicy_fish – Flaticon