Instagram creators are reporting losses of thousands of pounds after their accounts were suspended or taken down due to fake copyright claims.
Extortionists are filing bogus claims to the Meta-owned social media platform and then demanding ransoms to withdraw them, knowing that repeated claims can lead to account bans.
One Instagram user, who has 1.5 million followers, told the BBC that he paid a scammer $50 (£37) to get his account back. He stated that Meta's appeal process would take weeks, which had previously cost him thousands in lost income.
"We understand this can be frustrating for those impacted, and our systems are designed to protect people from this happening in the first place," a Meta spokesperson said.
"Following our review, we have restored the affected content and added additional protections to safeguard accounts against further attempts of this kind."
However, content creators interviewed by the BBC claim that Meta is ineffective at identifying obviously spurious cases and that its appeals process is slow to respond unless a monthly fee is paid.
'Obviously fake'
The Lost in Time History Instagram account, which has over 1.5 million followers, posts historical pictures.
Its creator, Olly, who chose not to share his last name, told the BBC that he posts pictures that are in the public domain or for which he has permission from the rights holder.
Despite this, he has received dozens of "obviously fake" copyright complaints in 2026.
Meta does not verify the authenticity of complaints when they are submitted. Consequently, if an account is repeatedly targeted, it can be temporarily taken down.
Olly mentioned that he often receives multiple strikes for several posts simultaneously, all originating from the same email address.
He is then contacted by the claimant, who asks him to move the conversation to the private messaging app Telegram.
"They'll demand a certain amount of money," he said, typically a few hundred dollars, to withdraw the claim.
The BBC has reviewed messages from claimants demanding money or threatening future copyright strikes.
Olly ultimately agreed to pay an extortionist $50 in cryptocurrency to restore his account, which had been temporarily suspended by Instagram.
Law enforcement agencies advise victims of extortion not to pay ransoms, as it fuels the criminal ecosystem.
Olly stated that he paid as a "last resort" because it was faster than going through Meta, a process that could take weeks.
However, he was subjected to more copyright strikes immediately after making the payment.
"That's the worst part," he said.
"Having to pay the person who's actively put you through all of that anguish only for it to happen straight away again."
Due to the frequency of copyright claims against his account, Olly's account was demonetised, preventing him from earning money from Instagram for high-performing posts.
"There's no investigation into abuse, or system detection [from Meta] that it could be abuse," he said.
Other Instagram users have shared similar experiences.
"Meta was not helpful throughout the entire process, forcing you to pay for support to talk, even as they claim to be here for the creator," said Abin Tom Sebastian, who manages the Morbid Kuriosity account.
Meta charges a £9.99 monthly fee for verification on Instagram, which provides users with 24/7 access to support via live chat.
"I lost irrecoverable and crucial brand contracts that unfortunately moved ahead with another creator, and no reassurance or support from Meta saying this will not happen again," Sebastian said.
Instagram states that only copyright holders, or their authorized representatives, can report copyright infringement, and it advises affected users to contact rights holders directly.
After the BBC contacted Meta with examples from Olly and other account holders, Meta announced it had implemented additional protections for their accounts, which it claims will prevent similar issues in the future.
Meta stated that it combats deceptive behavior aimed at scamming or defrauding individuals and businesses.
Getting in touch with the extortionists
The BBC has spoken with three individuals who file copyright strikes against Instagram users, despite not being the copyright holders.
All three appear to be based in India or nearby countries.
They deny holding accounts for ransom, instead claiming they file legitimate claims on behalf of copyright holders.
However, the BBC has seen messages from one individual demanding $900 (£668) to withdraw a strike.
They claimed this was their payment for the service and confirmed they kept all the money.
Two others denied making any money at all.
One stated they are assigned accounts to target and investigate the claim.
"If I find that they are using someone else's content, I issue copyright strikes for the benefit of everyone," they said.
Another said they are sent accounts or posts via an account holder or another representative.
Legitimate agencies that are paid to file copyright strikes on behalf of clients do exist.
However, Olly, who has dealt with such agencies before when he mistakenly posted copyrighted material, says they are usually easy to deal with, and "you can easily tell the difference."
"They're established companies with millions of followers, so it's very different," he said.
Recent increase
These types of copyright scams are not new, with a version of the crime dating back to the early days of the internet, according to Andres Guadamuz, a reader in intellectual property law at the University of Sussex and an expert on digital copyright.
Previously, these scams involved emails or letters sent to website owners claiming they owned the copyright to photos used online, and demanding money to avoid legal action.
Similar strikes have also been used against YouTube users.
However, the recent increase in this method may be attributed to AI making it easier to conduct these scams on a larger scale.
"It's a numbers game," Guadamuz told the BBC.
"Pretty much anyone can now deploy [AI] that is going to automate all of this in some way," he said.
It is also more challenging for platforms with billions of users to police this racket and distinguish genuine copyright claims from fake ones.
"The system was almost built with the assumption that the person that was making a copyright strike claim was legitimate," he said.
