Short answer: turn on two-factor authentication, never give your password to "followers" or analytics apps, secure the email behind your account, and be suspicious of anyone who DMs you about your account. Instagram does not contact users by DM, and nobody selling recovery works for Meta.
Why accounts get disabled
Many disabled accounts did nothing wrong on purpose. The usual triggers are:
- Third-party apps with your password. Apps promising followers, likes, auto-replies or deep analytics log in as you. Instagram can restrict accounts for automated activity or scraping, and the fix it recommends is to revoke those apps, change the password and turn on two-factor authentication.
- Bursts of activity that look like a bot: mass follows, likes or DMs in a short time.
- Reports against your posts, comments or messages under the Community Guidelines.
- Age checks in some countries, where Instagram asks for a birthday, an ID or a video selfie.
- A hack, when the hacker posts spam or scams from your account before you notice.
Ten habits that protect your account
- Turn on two-factor authentication, with an authentication app if you can.
- Use a unique password that you don't use anywhere else.
- Secure the email account linked to Instagram with its own strong password and two-factor authentication.
- Keep your phone number and email up to date in your settings, so recovery codes reach you.
- Remove apps you don't need from the apps and websites list in your settings.
- Check login activity now and then, and log out of devices you don't recognise.
- Download a copy of your data from time to time, so a ban doesn't mean losing everything.
- Grow at a natural pace. Sudden spikes in follows, likes or DMs look automated.
- Add photos of yourself to the account if you are comfortable with it: they can help confirm ownership with a video selfie later.
- Read every login email from Instagram, and act at once on any change you didn't make.
How to spot a recovery scam
Losing an account makes people easy targets. Watch for these signs:
- They contact you first, by DM or comment, right after you post about your problem.
- They claim to be Instagram or Meta, or to have an "insider" at Meta. Instagram does not DM users about their account.
- They guarantee success, or promise it in minutes. Nobody can honestly promise a result.
- They ask for your two-factor codes or the code Instagram just sent you, with no explanation.
- Emails from strange addresses. Real emails from Meta only come from domains such as instagram.com, facebookmail.com, facebook.com, fb.com, meta.com or metamail.com.
What a genuine service looks like
A real agency is easy to check before you pay anything:
- It is clearly independent and never claims to be Meta or Instagram.
- It tells you what is possible in your case, including when the honest answer is no.
- The price and terms are agreed before anything starts, in writing.
- It explains what it needs from you and why.
- You can reach it through public, verifiable accounts that have existed for a while.
That is how QJIH works. We are an independent agency based in Paris and have recovered 2,000 accounts and pages since 2019. You can find us at @archimede on Telegram and @qjih on Instagram, or read more about our Instagram unban service.