Purchasing an Instagram account can be a smart way to boost your brand, influencer profile, or business. Protecting acquired accounts is vital to avoid losses from fraud, unauthorized access, and cyberattacks. A compromised account can lead to financial losses, loss of reputation, and disruption in operations. The following article explains everything that you need to do to secure an Instagram account after buying it.

Common Scams to Avoid When Buying an Instagram Account

When buying an Instagram account, beware of scams; you could waste time and money and never receive the account, while the seller retains access. The most common scam is sellers regaining the account after being paid. This is possible when the seller has access to the original email or linked recovery methods to reset the password after the sale.

Another common scam is fake engagement, when sellers boost follower counts with bots or fake accounts. Marketing or business purpose accounts are virtually non-beneficial as well, because these accounts have very few followers. Some scammers also use bait-and-switch tactics, promoting an account with high engagement, but ultimately transferring a different, lower-quality account.

Beware of sellers insisting on direct payment, bypassing escrow services. Once you pay the scammers, they disappear without delivering the account information.

Step 1. Verifying the authenticity of an Instagram account before buying

It is important to be sure that an Instagram account is not fake before proceeding with it. Illegitimate sellers will try to sell you fake, hijacked, or artificially inflated accounts.

It is important to conduct a quantitative engagement analysis. No matter how high up the ladder you climb, a high follower count is pointless if your engagement comes from bots rather than human beings. Interaction rates, such as likes, comments, and shares, determine the legitimacy of the audience. Follow the follower composition, analytical tools can provide a risk assessment of synthetic or inactive profiles. This is about analyzing historic growth trends to establish if an account has had natural growth or algorithm manipulation through paid interactions. Previous brand and influencer’s collaborations add another layer of credence. Historical username changes can reveal fraudulent rebranding efforts used to obfuscate previous ownership.

An authentic account will show steady, organic growth with authentic engagement, while erratic spikes in metrics and inorganic activity show manipulation.

Step 2. Why using an escrow service is crucial when buying an Instagram account

The risk of fraud is higher when you deal directly with individual sellers. Buyers should use trusted third-party platforms to improve security such as escrow services like Trustap, where funds are held in escrow until the end of transaction. InstaDeal is known for its security, ensuring all transactions with Instagram accounts are transparent. InstaDeal eliminates fraudulent accounts through strict verification processes, protecting buyers and expediting the transfer process to ensure a smooth transition of ownership. Unlike every other website, InstaDeal combines Trustap escrow into its payment method - meaning that buyer funds are held in escrow safely until the buyer receives the credentials and approves delivery.

Step 3. Facilitate the Complete Transfer of Ownership

Transferring login credentials does not mean the ownership is fully transferred. Achieving absolute control requires several steps:

Transfer the email associated with the Instagram account to the buyer so the seller can not recover access. Pass through the username and password securely and change them as soon as possible. Get recovery methods (like security codes or backup authentication keys) and then save these in a safe place. Turn off Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) during this transition and re-enable it under the buyer’s management. Audit linked accounts like Facebook Business Manager, to revoke any access from prior ownership.

If security is weak, the seller is more likely to try to recover their account.

Step 4. Secure ways to change login credentials after buying an Instagram account

Make sure that upon acquisition, you change access credentials promptly. The buyer should:

Go to Settings → Security → Password and set a complex, random password with alphanumeric characters and special symbols. As long as your website is up-to-date and other areas where you can sign in are kept secure, you can store login details securely using a password management system.

Following strict password protocols also greatly decreases the chances of someone getting in.

Step 5. How to enable two-factor authentication after purchasing an Instagram account

By enabling 2FA, this counts as an added safety that makes it difficult for the user to login to the system. The buyer should:

Go to Settings → Security → Two-Factor Authentication and choose either verification via SMS or an authentication app like the Google Authenticator. Archive your backup authentication codes securely for emergency access.

If 2FA is enabled, gaining unauthorized access is highly unlikely even when login credential information has been leaked.

Step 6. Update Contact Information and Recovery Details

Having obsolete contact information is a security threat. The buyer must:

Go to Settings → Account → Personal Information and change the registered email and phone number to their own. Verification codes are sent to the new contact details to confirm changes.

This process essentially locks the old owner out through recovery mechanisms.

Step 7. Audit and Remove Connected Third-Party Applications

Any third-party applications connected to the account may still have unauthorized access. To mitigate this risk:

Go to Settings → Security → Apps and Websites and take back access from unverified apps. Stop using any automation tools which are against Instagram’s policy.

It also mitigates the risks associated with data breaches and security compromises caused by unauthorized integrations.

Step 8.Importance of securing the original email when buying an Instagram account

The original email (OGE) related to an Instagram account is the basis for most of the security discussion about Instagram accounts; Some users argue that the original email is no longer a key to account security. That said, the existing state of security on Instagram minimizes the chances of recovering an account based on the original email alone, but OGE is still an excellent safety factor, especially if your account is an asset and needs to be protected from a sudden recovery.

The buyer should have the OGE completely in control, such that the ex owner cannot use any recovery options to recover the account. That includes ensuring no alternative email recovery methods or linked accounts are still under the seller’s control.

In the event the OGE is not provided, the buyer should implement additional safety measures, such as establishing recovery methods for the brand-new account, besides enabling two-factor authentication to protect anything else from being recovered without authorization. In some of the small percentage (4-5%) of cases where the seller is malicious, they report the account as stolen, and Instagram reverts everything.

Step 9. How to monitor suspicious activity after acquiring an Instagram account

Even after a takeover, unauthorized activity could remain a problem. The following preventative measures are necessary:

Check Settings → Security → Login Activity for abnormal login attempts. Be on the lookout for email alerts about attempted logins. Go for safety alerts to get real-time notifications about suspicious activities. Analyse engagement patterns and follower activity for discrepancies suggestive of manipulation. Being quick to act when you notice something questionable on your account can further protect your safety and keep your account from being compromised.

Step 10. Removing previous owner access after buying an Instagram account

Previous owners of these accounts could then easily try to regain control of them fraudulently. The following techniques help reduce this risk:

Check if the account has no pending copyright claims or previous bans. Always have a legally binding transfer agreement in place for business dealings. Keep copies of everything you paid for; invoices from purchase or escrow and transfers.

If you experience ownership dispute, file a report with Instagram support, including the documentation you have that proves ownership.

Conclusion: How To Secure An Instagram Account While Buying It

Buying an Instagram account offers significant brand growth and audience diversification, but security must be the top priority because of inherent risks.

Safeguarding your digital footprint requires careful acquisition practices, reliable intermediaries, and robust security measures at every step.

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Introduction: How To Secure An Instagram Account While Buying It