Fraudsters are getting smarter. The scam game is getting so sophisticated it’s hard to keep track of what’s real and what’s fake. More so on platforms like Instagram that are evolving and reshaping their consumer behaviour like introducing a shop base to their service.

As they adapt to fighting these scams so do the scammers adapt and find new ways to gain peoples’ trust. Here are a few tips that will help you figure out if an Instagram Shop is legit or not

Instagram Shop: Red Flags

Large following with minimal engagement

Here, we focus on the comments and likes that a post receives. If you stumble upon a page with 10K followers and only 50 likes to a post, then that could be a red flag. Either the page was bought or the username changed from its initial name.

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There’s really no way to know for sure if the page has the following it portrays to have. However, you can check the history of the account to find out where it’s from.

Changed Username

To do this, you have to

• Go to the shops’ profile
• Click on the three dash menu
• Select ‘About this account’
• Choose ‘Former usernames’

From here you’ll know when a page was started and all the name’s it has had since its inception. The more a person has changed the name, the more likely they are a scam artist looking for a quick shilling.

If the shop is an Online only shop

This is usually a big issue when it comes to electronics. Being online-only and then asking for a deposit is a red flag. However, it could just be a seller being cautious.

With that in mind, try as much as possible to get goods and pay on delivery, and if they have a physical shop, the better. Visit the shop and get a chance to see what it is you are buying. The photos on the gram may not always be the real deal.