Fake Competition Scams on Instagram
How fraudulent brand giveaway posts and fake competition accounts on Instagram collect follows, data, and fees from users who believe they have won prizes from impersonated brands.
Part of: Fake Competition Scams
Last reviewed: 9 June 2026
Instagram's visual culture makes it a natural home for fake competition fraud. Polished giveaway posts featuring desirable products — designer goods, electronics, travel experiences — fit seamlessly into the platform's aesthetic and are engaged with at high rates by users who encounter them in their feeds or through hashtags.
Brand impersonation on Instagram is widespread: fraudulent accounts are created with names very close to real brands, using the brand's imagery, colour schemes, and post style. Casual Instagram users who do not notice the absence of a blue verification badge or the slight difference in a username can be easily deceived by accounts that look virtually identical to the brands they follow.
Instagram's broad reach and the shareable nature of giveaway posts enable fraudulent competitions to reach very large audiences very quickly, generating high volumes of entries and personal data before the account is detected and removed.
How this scam works on Instagram
An Instagram post from an account using a well-known brand's name and visual identity announces a giveaway: a luxury product, a travel package, or a cash prize. To enter, users must follow the account, like the post, and tag friends in the comments. The post rapidly accumulates entries from genuine users.
Winners are 'announced' and notified via Instagram DM. The message is personalised and congratulatory, directing the winner to an external website to provide their personal details and a small delivery or processing fee to receive the prize. The website collects card details and personal information.
In some variants, winners are simply asked to follow a link that leads to a credential-harvesting page requesting Instagram login details to 'verify' the winning account.
Common red flags
- Competition post uses a brand's imagery but comes from an account without a verified blue checkmark
- Username is very close to a real brand but has a small variation: extra characters, different spacing, or an underscore
- Prize is disproportionately valuable relative to the simple entry requirements
- Winner notification arrives via DM and asks for payment or login details to claim the prize
- External website for prize claiming does not precisely match the brand's official domain
- Giveaway account was created recently and has limited authentic-looking prior content
How to protect yourself
- Verify any competition by checking the brand's official verified Instagram account directly for the same promotion
- Legitimate brand giveaways are always posted from verified accounts and never require fees to claim prizes
- Do not enter Instagram credentials on any external site reached through a competition link
- Use Instagram's 'Report > Spam or scam' function on suspicious competition posts and accounts
- Be particularly sceptical of giveaway accounts that followed or tagged you rather than appearing organically
How to report it
- Report the fraudulent Instagram account using the three-dot report menu on the profile
- Report to the brand being impersonated so they can submit a counterfeit report to Instagram
- File a report with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov if money or account credentials were compromised
Frequently asked questions
How do I tell if an Instagram competition account is fake?
Check for the blue verification badge on the account. Search the brand's official name directly to find their genuine account. Fake accounts often have usernames with minor variations, recently created profiles, and limited authentic post history before the giveaway.