Instagram is a widely used social media platform in today’s era because it allows us to capture moments and interact with various individuals. However, sometimes we need to be cautious about stalking actions that can jeopardize our privacy.
How to Know if Someone Is Stalking You on Instagram? What danger signs should be aware of and what steps should be taken to protect yourself?
How to Know If There Are Stalkers on Your Instagram
Review Your Privacy Settings
If you suspect that someone is stalking you through Instagram, what you need to do is review your privacy settings. Select the three lines in the bottom left corner, and navigate to Settings > Who can see your content. Here you can check if your account is set to “private” or not.
If not, set your Instagram account to private so that you can approve all new follower requests. This means only the people you approve can see your posts, likes, and IG Stories. If your Instagram account is public, anyone can see your activity on Instagram.
Check Who Views Your Instagram Story
Do you post a lot of Instagram stories? If yes, this may help you determine if you are being stalked. There is an easy way to check the views of Instagram stories: all you have to do is swipe up, and you will see the usernames of the people who viewed it.
Read Also: 8 Signs There Is a Tracker on Your Phone
If someone you don’t know well, or don’t know at all, views all the stories you post, it could be a sign that they are interested in your Instagram activity for malicious reasons.
Check Your Followers List
If you suspect something is wrong, it’s a good idea to check your followers list. Even though your profile is set to private, there is always the possibility that you have approved follow requests from someone you don’t know.
In fact, if someone is stalking you, they may create a Fake Account for that purpose. Specifically, you should pay attention to unclear and seemingly harmless usernames that you do not recognize.
Look at Other Profile Interactions
Do followers like all your posts, including old ones, and interact with your stories all the time? Are you receiving more direct messages than usual, and do any of them contain links? If your profile is set to private, are you constantly receiving follow requests? Are they coming from the same account?
These are all things to pay attention to. If someone is stalking you, they are likely unable to restrain themselves and show a high interest in your profile.
What to Do If There Are Stalkers on Instagram
If an account checks all the boxes and consistently displays suspicious behavior, and if you are certain they are a stalker, you have a few options. However, what you do next depends on who the cyberstalker is. If it’s a random online person you’ve never met, the issue might not be too difficult to resolve. However, if it’s someone you know (e.g., an ex-partner), the issue becomes more complicated.
Whatever the choice, the first thing you should do is report the user to Instagram. To do this, open their profile and tap the three small dots next to their username. Whether Instagram takes action or not, it doesn’t hurt to report it. You should also block or restrict the user on Instagram and set your profile to private, if you haven’t already.
If you have reason to believe that the suspected stalker is someone you know or someone who can harass you in real life, you need to document the stalking. Take screenshots of inappropriate comments and messages. Record videos if necessary, and do your best to document the evidence.
You should also consider reporting this person to the authorities.
From : https://www.makeuseof.com/is-someone-stalking-me-instagram/
