Prize Notification Scams on Instagram
Fake brand and influencer accounts on Instagram send congratulatory DMs claiming the recipient has won a prize, then extract personal information and shipping fees from those who respond.
Part of: Prize Notification Scams
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Instagram DM prize notifications are one of the most common forms of social media fraud. Because users frequently enter genuine giveaways on Instagram by liking and commenting on posts, an unexpected DM claiming they have won feels plausible rather than suspicious. Scammers exploit this familiarity by mimicking the visual identity and tone of legitimate brand accounts.
The volume of legitimate giveaways on Instagram makes it very difficult for users to remember exactly which promotions they entered, making a winning notification from an unfamiliar account easier to accept at face value than it might otherwise be.
How this scam works on Instagram
A DM arrives from an account with a name and profile picture resembling a recognisable brand. The message congratulates the recipient on winning a product prize and asks them to confirm their full name, shipping address, and email to arrange delivery. A follow-up message then requests a small 'customs fee', 'shipping contribution', or 'tax payment' to release the prize.
Some versions skip the shipping fee and instead harvest contact information to sell or use in subsequent fraud campaigns. Others direct winners to a verification website that installs malware or captures social media login credentials under the guise of identity confirmation.
Repost-to-win mechanics are also used: a post instructs followers to repost to their story for a chance to win, using the reposts to amplify the scam page's reach before the winning notifications are sent out.
Common red flags
- DM arrives from an account you do not recognise despite claiming you won their giveaway
- Account profile shows a recent creation date or significantly fewer followers than the brand it purports to be
- Winning notification requests any form of payment — shipping, customs, tax, or processing fee
- Link provided for prize collection leads to an external site requesting login credentials
- Response window pressure — claim within 24 hours or the prize is forfeited
- Account handle contains an additional word, number, or punctuation mark not present in the brand's real handle
How to protect yourself
- If you did not enter a specific giveaway, treat any winning notification as fraudulent regardless of how official it appears
- Verify a winning notification by navigating directly to the brand's verified account and checking whether the promotion is listed
- Never pay any amount to claim a social media prize — legitimate brands cover shipping costs
- Do not provide your home address, national ID, or financial details to accounts you cannot verify as genuine
- Report and block accounts sending suspicious prize DMs to protect other users
How to report it
- Use the DM options menu to report the account as spam or a scam directly within the conversation
- Report the account profile through Instagram's report feature, specifying impersonation of a brand
- Alert the genuine brand whose identity is being used so they can warn their real followers
Frequently asked questions
Why do I keep receiving prize notifications on Instagram if I have not entered giveaways?
Scammers harvest usernames from popular posts and hashtags and send mass prize DMs without regard to whether the recipient entered a real promotion. The expectation is that a small percentage will respond believing they genuinely won something. Block and report each notification without engaging.