We Lost Our Instagram And Got It Back

How I got our Instagram back for Dash Kitten is a bit of a puzzle. Let me tell you why I think this because I am not really sure what went wrong when we applied for its return.

I tried all of our email accounts (staff and personal) and the passwords. Eventually, I succeeded in finding the right details by giving IG the one account I was meant NOT to be able to get online with. This was the supposedly compromised one.  

The thing I think may have confused Instagram at their end was my incorrect reading of their instructions. Read this, it may help you in the same situation.

Critical Point in the Instagram Help Process You Might Get Wrong:- 

1. If you account is mostly cat pictures (or fashion, or dogs, or crafts…) DO NOT Click “This Account Includes Pictures of Me”.  
2. This leads down a rabbit hole of “Put this number on a piece of paper and take a picture of  You with the Paper” confusion. Not what you might need for a pet account which is 99.9% cat or rescue appeals.
3. Use Option 3 >>> This account contains pictures that I’ve created.” 

I Got My Instagram Back – Here’s What I Think

I did learn some stuff, so I am passing on the further information if you get stuck with IG Help:-

• At no point do you ever seem to communicate with a real person at Instagram – ever in a million years. The ‘Emma’, then ‘George’, I emailed via the Hacked Account page, did not respond as people, but as extremely sophisticated ‘autoresponders’ that look for and check certain key trigger words.
• How do I know this? Instagram asked me to confirm – via the Dash Kitten email linked to IG – with a copy of their email, to verify that this the account was the account we used. 
• Unfortunately, we couldn’t.
• Because the email we were asked to respond to, was bounced by Instagram.  We got a Facebook automatic email response. “We can’t help you – try the help page ….”
• Mum eventually got us back, we think, by setting up a support ticket letting them know we got bounced and enclosing a copy of their email to us).
• Confused. Well, I was and still am. 

We Got Our Instagram Back BUT

I don’t know if I was hacked ‘officially’ or if Instagram changed its API, or something, so our recovery remains a bit of a puzzle. A fellow blogger had similar issues but was not hacked.

I  thought you should know these things to try and keep your account safe, if you are on Instagram :-

• Do use a REALLY fun but weird password that you might remember like – AesopFUn83 or AesOPfaB83
• Do not put your telephone number in if Instagram asks for it. The phisshing page may be blank with no Instagram Logo.
• Do keep a hidden note of your password, at home, if you are worried you might forget. Think about it – no hacker is going to be sat on your shoulder at home. 

So DK Crew are back. Dash Kitten’s memory is safe and we have a new and fancy password!

Marjorie Dawson

Marjorie is a motorbike riding blogger and award winning cat photographer who believes that everyone can create impressive cat photographs and fun movies with the camera they carry.

She is a Professional Member of the Cat Writers Association, Kuykendall Image Award winner and published photographer at the Guardian newspaper.