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How to detect fake advertisements on Instagram

Are you an active Instagrammer? If yes, then beware of fake Instagram ads that imitate
influencers, even businesses. These ads lure you by promising free items and massive
discounts if you input your personal information on their websites. Unfortunately, these fake
advertisements collect your information to sell it off or hack your accounts! So, before
giving your personal information, make sure that the ads are from reputable sources. Read
these tips to spot on fake Instagram ads.
No contact address on their website
A trusted brand website has a place to contact customer service such as an email, phone
number, or mailing address. If you cannot find the contact address on the ads website, then it
almost certainly does not exist.
The website address doesn’t begin with https://
A website with an SSL certificate must start with https://, means that the website is encrypted,
secure and trusted. Rob Powell, a blogger (robpowellbizblog.com), explains that SSL certificate
prevents third parties from hacking into the website. So, if the ads website doesn’t begin with
https://, then it is most likely not secure and thus vulnerable to attack.
The image seems weird
Pay attention to the image used on the website. If it seems a little off, blurry, or odd-placed,
then it could be plagiarized from the original website. Khan, a CMO of YourLibaas suggests that
it can be revealed by conducting Google search using the suspicious image to find out if it is the
real promotion deal or an act of plagiarism.
The ads ask for credit card information
You really have to be suspicious of an ad that asks for your credit card information
immediately, especially before you obtain an email or other delivery or shipping information.
Most likely the ad is a scam aiming to steal your credit card information.
No logo and very few hashtags
Look for a sponsored logo up at the top and count the hashtags in the caption. Fake
advertisements do not use hashtags to avoid being traced to the original brand.
The offer is too good to be true
Beware of an ads offering a very good deal, even too good to be true. For example, a Rayban
that costs $1. Reading an ads like this, you can google for its real price, or you can just ask
yourself whether it is possible that an original Rayban will cost $1 or not. Do not fall for this
trap only to save a few dollars, you will risk your valuable personal information.
The ratio of followers to engagement is suspicious
Another tip to recognize fake ads is by comparing the number of followers with the posts
engagement. If the accounts have thousands of followers yet very few posts engage (almost no
followers liked the posts), then the ads are fake. Remember, Instagram followers can be easily
bought, but not with their likes and comments on each post.
Unable to leave comment on the photo
Read the comments on each photo posted by the account who advertises on Instagram! Count
the comments, and compare with the followers. Then try to leave a comment. If you
can’t comment on certain words or may not even be able to post a comment altogether, then
the account owner does that to prevent you from complaining about their poor customer
service or even scam.

You have read the tips on how to detect fake Instagram ads. Now, you can scroll through your
Instagram feeds without having to worry about scams anymore.
(source: https://www.rd.com/article/signs-an-instagram-ad-cant-be-trusted/)