I’m sure you’ve recently come across some special Direct message requests on Instagram. In fact, for some time now, an unpleasant phenomenon has been spreading on this social network: the creation of groups dedicated to scams and spam. Many users report daily being added by strangers to groups of this type which, even when they are not really risky, are still a nuisance.
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In this guide, I will explain how to not get added to Instagram groups , also giving you some tips on how to behave in case you find yourself in this situation.
Index
- How group invitations work
- Who can be added
- What to do
- Message requests from a single user
- How to block invitations to Instagram groups
- From iOS
- From Android
- How to block messages from strangers on Instagram
How group invitations work
How to know if someone has invited you to one of these groups? You can see it very easily, by accessing Instagram from the app and then going to the messages section . At the top right, if you have any, you will find the item ” Requests ” in blue, accompanied by the number of requests you still have pending. By tapping on that wording, a screen will appear in front of you with all the requests for messages that you have received and that you have not yet decided how to manage, whether by accepting or rejecting them.
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In this section of the DMs end only and exclusively the messages of those who are not among your followers ; and this is where you might spot invitations to scam and spam groups, which – usually – recognize each other immediately, because the group and / or user names are strange, because the messages are in a foreign language and / or chats contain links .
It is precisely the links that should make you suspicious more than anything else. The intention of those who create these groups, in fact, is that the invited users click or tap on them, thus being redirected to phishing sites or allowing hackers to access their smartphones and related data.
Who can be added
All Instagram users can be added to Instagram groups, whether they have a personal profile or a business or creator profile. In all cases, however, the account must be public .
If you have a private Instagram account , no one will be able to send you Direct requests; however, this is not the only way to escape this situation.
What to do
If someone has invited you to an Instagram group, and you are sure or even doubtful that it is spam, then my advice is to delete the chat immediately, without replying and clicking any links.
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To cancel the request to add to the group, proceed as follows:
- Open the Instagramapp ;
- Tap on the paper airplane(top, right);
- Select ” Requests“;
- Choose the requestyou are interested in and swipe to the left ;
- Tap on ” Delete“;
- In the pop-up that opens, tap ” Delete” again.
Message requests from a single user
Although in most cases these are groups, it may happen that you receive scam and spam messages even from individual users.
In the event that the request for a suspicious message comes from an account, you can limit yourself to deleting the chat or blocking the account itself , an option that I suggest to you so as not to take any risk and be on the safe side. To do this, here’s what you need to do:
- Open the Instagram app;
- Tap on the paper airplane(top, right);
- Select ” Requests“;
- Choose the requestyou are interested in and swipe to the left ;
- Tap on ” Block“;
- In the pop-up that opens, tap ” Block” again.
To learn more, read how to block messages on Instagram .
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How to block invitations to Instagram groups
As I have already told you, if you have a private Instagram account , no stranger will be able to add you to groups. This is the only possible solution, at least so far, for anyone with a personal Instagram profile. If, on the other hand, you have a creator account – or you manage a company one – here’s what you can do.
From iOS
- Open the Instagramapp ;
- Tap on the threesettings lines (top, right);
- Select ” Privacy” and scroll to ” Messages “;
- Go to the ” Allow others to add you to groups” section. By default, the “All” option is checked;
- Select ” Only people you follow“.
From Android
- Open the Instagramapp ;
- Tap on the threesettings lines (top, right);
- Select ” Privacy” and scroll to ” Messages “;
- Go to the ” Allow others to add you to groups” section. By default, the “All” option is checked;
- Select ” Only people you follow“.
How to block messages from strangers on Instagram
In case you even want to block requests for messages from strangers, and not just the invitation to groups, the procedure to follow is very similar.
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Here are the steps for iPhone / iPad, Android smartphone or tablet:
- Open the Instagramapp ;
- Tap on the threesettings lines (top, right);
- Select ” Privacy” and scroll to ” Messages “;
- Go to the “ Allow new message requests” section. By default, the “All” option is checked;
- Select ” Only people you follow“
