Your Account Was Compromised Instagram [Fixed]

You might have got an email or a notice on your smartphone stating that “Your Account Was Compromised.” There could be several reasons for Instagram to show this message. For instance, someone in a different location might have tried to access your account, or some unusual bot activity happened, or Instagram noticed something unauthentic with how your account works.

Until you try to fix or work around it, it won’t let you access Instagram or perhaps limit some features. This is not startling since many other Instagram users have faced this issue before. Therefore, in this article, we will look over a few plausible reasons behind the message and solutions which would help you solve this problem hassle-free.

Instagram Account Compromised Message

The account compromised message from Instagram looks something like this (screenshot below) with the following message:

“It looks like you shared your password with a service to help you get more likes or followers, which goes against our Community Guidelines. Change your password to continue using Instagram. If you share your new password with one of these services, you may get blocked from following, liking, or commenting.”

The message explicitly states that Instagram doesn’t like unusual activities. Especially those activities that are intended to increase followers, likes, comments, or in some cases, auto-posting. There could be other reasons that I have mentioned below.

Following are the reasons why you see Instagram account compromised messages: 

• Likes and follows made for your account automatically via bots
• A sudden spike in your followers
• Repetitive actions by third-party tools that have access to your Instagram account
• Login attempt(s) made to your account via bots

If bots are not involved, there could be another possible reason: A large number of likes and follows made by your account (or for your account) in a short period. Since bots can not be a reason for this, it must have been done manually. Have you (or any other person with access to your account) done something analogous, as stated in the previous sentence?

Whether your answer is yes or no, it’s hardly a matter of concern now; the message is still there, and you have to get around it. Below are a few possible solutions that I have devised to fix the account compromised message on Instagram.

Is My Instagram Account Hacked?

Let’s see some respects regarding the login activity data before directly jumping to the conclusion

If Location is Wrong

It is absolutely fine if you see your active location in any nearest city. The Instagram servers connect with the best base servers, which may be a city or a region which is not your present location or any other nearest city within the country. It is very fine, and your account is safe.

If you see a location outside your country or a device you never used to log in to, your account may be compromised. But this is not always true. If you have used any VPN service, the location may be changed to another region based on your VPN server. Check if the device is the same as you use; if it’s the same, then your device may have connected to a proxy server which is pretty much fine and nothing to worry about.

If the Device is Wrong

This is an alarming bell, if you see any other device which you have never used to log in, then your account may be hacked. Also, if you see any surge in followers or drastic change in your profile activity, your account may have been under attack.

Tips to Fix Instagram Account Was Compromised

Now, that you have got the gist of the problem and the reason behind it, we will look into the solutions and best practices that you should adopt to prevent this problem in the future.

1. Change Your Password

If you have seen the screenshot of the message above, you might have noticed the “Change Password” option. Changing your password is recommended in this situation because it revokes all access to the automation you’re currently using, like third-party apps that use bots for making actions in your account.

If you are not sure which outsider tool(s) has/have access to your Instagram account at this point, changing your password would help. Likewise, if you know which third-party Instagram tools or automation you are using, you could provide access to them again (after resetting the password.) No issues with that, right?

To change your password, follow the directions on Instagram. However, if you are wondering how to do it, here are the steps you need to follow to accomplish this task.

If you are logged in to Instagram already, sign out. Also, use a web browser for this task.

• Go to the Instagram Password Reset Page
• Enter either email, phone number, or username associated with your account

• Go to your email, and select “Reset your password.” Avoid selecting “Log in as your username“

2. Stop Automation

You might want to stop automation or third-party tools linked to your Instagram account. I’m not sure about the authenticity or reliability of these tools. Still, tools that increase likes, followers, and comments via bot action are those whose usage Instagram does not advocate for.

On contrary to these tools, you should look to a social media agency for your Instagram promotion. There are many agencies; google them. Likewise, you could opt for Instagram Ads to boost your post and account visibility. Not to mention, you could advertise manually too.

3. Hold On For a Few Days

As discussed earlier, the account compromised messages on Instagram could also be due to overdoing liking, commenting, or following manually. It could be either you or someone else with access to your account.

If you hold yourself from doing all these actions, then Instagram might stop showing this message after a few days or a week.

4. Link Facebook in Instagram

If you have an account on Facebook, you might want to link your IG account to your FB account (or Facebook Page.) You would think Facebook is a third-party partner in this scenario as I kind of advised revoking access from such things earlier in the article, right? Yeah, but you should know that Facebook owns Instagram. Therefore, it’s not wrong to say these two social giants are official partners.

So, doing this doesn’t jeopardize your Instagram account in any way. Instead, it only strengthens it by linking it to Facebook – a credible source.

Although linking Instagram to Facebook Page is not the main motive of this article, you may follow the official article to look into the required process.

Wrapping it up

The message “Your Account Was Compromised” on Instagram could be avoided if you adopt the right practices, such as not using third-party automation tools to increase likes, followers, or comments. Additionally, using apps for auto messaging or scheduled messaging is not recommended.

There are other options to promote an Instagram account, for example, Instagram Ads, Social media agencies, and manual tasks. Also, getting this message doesn’t simply mean Instagram is going to ban your account. But if you do not comply with the guidelines, they might limit some of the features, such as blocking you from commenting, liking others’ posts, posting, or perhaps a possible account ban in the end.