For many Internet users, an Instagram account is a digital mirror to reflect their lives and silently find others. It can show many valuable details for the OSINT researcher: geolocation, images, network, email, education and even daily schedule. However, all the same details can be made up by the scammer to fool gullible users. Not sure whether you are talking to the real person behind an Instagram account? Find the name, email or location of the person with ease using these tips from X-Ray Contact.
Who Might Have Created the Fake Instagram Account?
There can be different incentives for why a person deceives others using social media. Consider the following scenarios as to why an Instagram account might be suspicious:
- Impersonating With Malicious Plans. A person may create a fake Instagram account to impersonate someone else with the motivation of causing harm, spreading misinformation or damaging the reputation of the victim.
- Organizing Dating Scams. Since people often use Instagram accounts to find new friends or dating partners, culprits might exploit it to build relationships with the person and then demand money or gifts.
- Catfishing to Fulfill Their Emotional Needs. Scammers may do catfishing, where they create a false identity to form online relationships using an Instagram account. This can be driven by a desire for emotional satisfaction, attention or a sense of control over others’ feelings.
- Faking Influencer Persona for Money. Some imposters may create a fabricated identity on social media, pretending to be an influencer with a large following. This deception with an Instagram account is often driven by the potential to find financial gains through brand partnerships, sponsorships or affiliate marketing.
- Doing Political Manipulation and Disinformation. Governments, organizations, or individuals may use social media to spread false information or manipulate public opinion to influence political events via Instagram accounts. The goal is often to find a way to advance a particular agenda.
Track the Owner of an Instagram Account
Since suspicious Instagram accounts might have different details available, there is no one only way to find someone’s true identity. You can focus on disclosing their location, name or even email. Here are steps that can help you discern a social media scammer from a genuine person:
Use Reverse Image Search
If the Instagram account owner has posted any visual content, utilize reverse image search techniques to validate them. There are different techniques that depend on what type of picture you are trying to find: a photo of an object, location or a person’s face.
Reverse Image Search with Google Image
The simplest strategy is the reverse search using Google Images to find out whether the Instagram account photo was taken from another publicly available resource. It works best to learn if pictures of things or places were stolen from others. The algorithm is simple:
- Visit the Google Images website to kick off the investigation.
- Click on the camera icon in the search menu to find it.
- Select and upload an image you want to study from your device. Another option is to paste a URL of the picture from a website it’s posted on.
- Google will provide a list of the most similar images to the Instagram account photos and their sources. You have to explore the results yourself and find out whether there are identical matches.
Find Other Images of the Person with X-Ray Contact
This approach is more advanced as it involves an algorithm that analyzes human faces, scraping through the database to find the closest matches to the Instagram account you are looking for. That’s why X-Ray Contact reverse image search results are often more precise compared to Google Images since the system looks not just for the same picture posted elsewhere but also finds other possible photos of the person based on face analysis. The process goes as follows:
- Go to the X-Ray Contact website.
- Select the “Search” tab to start the research.
- There are different search channels, like name, email or phone number. Choose option “Image” to start the reverse image search.
- Then, either upload a photo from your device or provide a link to the image.
- You can receive a full report with all X-Ray Contact can find in the database. It can be not just reverse image search matches but also information about the name, email, social media profiles, location, age, etc., of people who used this picture online. That’s how you can reveal the real name of the Instagram account owner.
Track an Instagram Account Using the IP Address
This method of finding out someone’s identity using an Instagram account requires more steps and leads to fewer results. Here’s a brief breakdown:
- First, you need to use social engineering skills and persuade a user to visit a link to the IP lookup website. One such site is WhatIsMyIPAddress.com.
- The IP address itself will reveal the geolocation of the Instagram account holder with an accuracy of 50 meters. You can also get information about a person’s Internet service provider (ISP).
- The only way to find a name based on this information is to use social engineering to email ISPs and persuade them to reveal details about the Instagram account owner. However, such data is confidential and normally can be retrieved only by the police.
Find Out Who Owns an Instagram Account Through Other Platforms
Oftentimes, people use the same username and email across various platforms. Search the nickname on different social media in case there is a match and do an email investigation. Moreover, users themselves can link other online profiles or mention emails in the bio or posts of their Instagram account. Try to find Facebook or LinkedIn since these social media normally contain the most information about real identity, email, location, workplace, education and more.
Look for an Instagram Account Owner With an Email
Identifying a person’s email can be a valuable stepping stone on the way to revealing their contact details and true identity. Instagram allows users to link their business or personal emails in their profile, so here’s how you can detect it:
- Open a person’s Instagram profile.
- Tap the “Contact” tab to see phone numbers or email addresses they might have linked.
- Get access to the email.
- Then, you can use this data to find out more about the person via an X-Ray Contact search. In the Search panel, select the “Email” tab and look for more information about the person using this channel. Moreover, in case the person has linked a corporate email, you can use knowledge about a company to inquire more about the person directly.
What to Do If the Owner of an Instagram Account is a Scammer?
No matter what tools you use to find name, location or email, the research can reveal that the Instagram account you investigated is fake. If the person behind the profile does fraudulent actions or scams others, follow these steps to report them:
- After clicking on the Instagram account you suspect, tap on three dots.
- Opt for the tab “Report” and choose the reason you decided that this Instagram account doesn’t follow community guidelines, such as “It’s a scam” or “Suspicious activity.”
- Unfollow and block the Instagram account to prevent any further interaction with them.
Conclusion
Considering modern tools that are freely available, finding an Instagram account owner can be easier than it seems. Whether you use the reverse image search method, opt for IP, social media or email lookup, always stay aware of the privacy concerns and platform policies.