A cyber attacker named “OBN Brandon” has been gaining notoriety for terrorizing influential people on Instagram by removing their accounts and demanding ransom for recovery. The hacker was able to succeed in his schemes due to the weak support system for Instagram and the easily manipulable account complaint system. According to foreign sources, the hacker has already made several hundred thousand dollars from these acts.
However, OBN Brandon is not the only one involved in Instagram safety issues. In 2021, an industry dedicated to blocking Instagram accounts, known as “Ban As a Service” or “Blocking as a Service” (BAAS), has been rapidly spreading in the digital underground. Those who can afford this service use it to permanently remove their targeted victim’s profile, including those who may have wronged them in the past.
META, the platform’s own company, developed the complaint system to protect against malicious content on the platform, but scammers have learned to use it against other users. These groups use various methods to delete accounts, such as completely duplicating the target profile and reporting it as an imitator or using scripts and bots to quickly report different accounts.
OBN Brandon advertises the software he uses to file false complaints and also uses imitation tactics. Sometimes, the attacker even hacks into the target account to post inappropriate content to violate the platform’s conditions. The BAAS service can cost up to $4,000 per profile, making it a lucrative industry for scammers.
Instagram users should be cautious and monitor their accounts closely to prevent any unauthorized access. The platform should also take steps to improve its support system and prevent exploiting the account complaint feature for targeted attacks.