Social Media Hacking

Going on Instagram is an everyday occurrence for many students. However, sometimes they can experience some unusual events that could make anyone wary of the app. 

Messages on Instagram direct messaging have been being sent to random followers asking for them to click mysterious links. The links then ask people to sign in, and that is where accounts are vulnerable to hacking.  

Seniors Jayden Broadway and Colton Roblyer both had their Instagram accounts hacked. They both were unaware that anything had happened to the accounts until they got texts from friends telling them about the messages sent out. 

“[When I found out] I was in class and was kind of annoyed with the fact that it was distracting me in class,” Broadway said.  

The dangers of having a stranger on the same account as a user goes beyond a few strange messages. The hacker can then steal personal information or use a person’s password to hack into other accounts.  

“Do not give them your information and if you have already signed into [your account] then change your password immediately so they cannot get into your account,” Broadway said.  

This experience can be scary to anyone, especially if they value their social media accounts. 

“I definitely use social media a lot,” Roblyer said. “I was suspicious and didn’t know what was going on at first.” 

To prevent this scam from going around any further, the main thing to do is not to click the link. By clicking it, a chain reaction occurs that spreads throughout communities online. If no one feeds into it, the hacker is forced into silence.  

If anyone is hacked, however, there is an easy solution. Roblyer changed his password immediately after he found out, which kicked the stranger out of his account.  

These two have learned to be cautious online. Both the students had some advice for social media users: do not click any sketchy links you are sent.