How to Identify Virtual Instagram Account

Surely you will feel great when you have new followers on Instagram, especially when you are looking to increase the number of followers. However, sometimes you will be followed by a virtual account – which usually does not help increase engagement and even causes some problems for you and your followers. Don’t worry though – this article provides a list of the most suspicious points that you need to be aware of in order to identify a virtual account.

Table of Contents

The account has no profile picture.

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Accounts without a profile picture are usually virtual. Real account owners often want others to know who they are so that friends and family can find them. ^{[1] X Research Source}

It could also be a friend who hasn’t had time to change their profile picture, but this rarely happens.

They have no followers and no other accounts follow.

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Real Instagram accounts usually always have some followers. If an account doesn’t follow anyone else or has no followers, it’s usually a virtual account. ^{[2] X Research Source}

The software automatically uses this type of account to promote spam links in their referrals. You absolutely do not click on those links.

The account has no posts at all.

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Accounts with no posts are often fraudulent. If you come across an account with no posts, it’s probably an automated software-generated account. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Even if it’s a private account, you can still check by looking at the post number shown at the top of the profile.
You should also watch out for accounts that no longer post after a period of continuous posting. If the account has been inactive for a long period of time, it is probably a virtual account.

They leave general comments.

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Virtual accounts often perform “tricks” for you to follow them. If an account comments “great post!” (great) or “nice shot!” (so pretty!) on multiple photos of you at once, this could be a virtual account. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

However, this also happens when a certain celebrity wants to increase their following. If you look at the profile and don’t see any suspicious signs, it’s a real account.

An account that uses someone else’s photo.

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An account that pretends to be someone else’s identity is definitely a virtual account. You can search for information by their photos; if the picture shows up elsewhere, it means they use a virtual account. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

If you see an account using photos of you or someone else, report it on the app or visit https://help.instagram.com/contact/636276399721841.

They track a large number of suspicious accounts.

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Virtual accounts want to increase their following by following more people. If you notice an account with a big difference between the number of people they’re following and the number of followers, it’s probably a virtual account. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

This is not a sure sign, as some real accounts use a similar strategy to increase followers. However, you can still rely on this feature to conduct account reviews.

It’s a newly created account.

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Incomplete Instagram accounts are often virtual. You would try swiping to the bottom of the page and checking the date of the first post. If the article was only posted a few days ago, it is most likely a virtual account. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

For private accounts, you can’t browse their posts until they accept your follow request.
An account without a post is also a sign to help you identify a virtual account.

They have a lot of followers but little interaction.

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Virtual or purchased followers are often a telltale sign of a virtual account. If the account has thousands of followers but each post has only a few likes or comments, this is a virtual account. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

This situation can also be for real people using virtual followers to increase total followers.
You should try to check to see if the number of followers of that account is real or fake. If the majority of followers are inactive, don’t have a profile picture, or have a fake name, that’s a sign that the follower is virtual (and the account is also virtual).

They post pictures of many other people.

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You can easily identify the virtual account within seconds. If all the photos on the account are from other people (usually pictures of attractive women who look alike), it’s a virtual account. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Often this is a spam account that wants to entice people to click on the link in their intro.

They offer discounts or promotions.

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Scam accounts often introduce high-end items with “huge” promotions. If the account provides links to discounted products, it’s probably a virtual account. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Discounted Ray Bans eyewear accounts are very popular. You can also come across the same type of account on Twitter and Facebook.
Never give out credit card information to every Instagram account.

Advice

If you want to rate your followers before allowing them to follow, set up a private account.

Steps