How to Block Scam Accounts on Social Media

I have a morning ritual. I wake up. I drink water. And then I delete three new followers on Instagram who are all named “Elon_Musk_Giveaway_882.”

It is exhausting. Social media in 2026 feels less like a town square and more like a infested swamp. You post a picture of your cat, and within seconds, a bot comments: “Send pic to @CatLoverz_Promo for collab!” You ignore it. Then another one DMs you: “Hello Dear, do you want to be my sugar baby? $500 weekly allowance.”

Block. Delete. Block. Delete. It feels useless. Like trying to empty the ocean with a spoon. If you block “Scammer_01,” they just come back five minutes later as “Scammer_02.”

But you can’t just let them overrun your account. If you ignore them, the algorithm thinks you like them, and it sends you more. You have to fight back. Here is how to block them effectively not just hiding them, but actually hurting their operation.

1. The “Super Block” (Instagram’s Best Feature)

If you are still just tapping “Block,” you are doing it wrong. Instagram realized a few years ago that scammers create infinite accounts. So they added a weapon.

When you go to block someone, a menu pops up asking:

• “Block [Username]?”

• “Block [Username] and any other accounts they may have or create?”

ALWAYS choose the second one. This blocks their Device ID or their IP Address. It means that if this guy sitting in a basement in Lagos tries to make a new account on the same phone to harass you… he can’t. You are invisible to his entire device. It’s not perfect (VPNs exist), but it cuts down the repeat offenders significantly.

2. The “Hidden Words” Firewall

Blocking accounts individually is slow. You want to block them before they even touch you. I call this the “Invisible Wall.”

On Instagram (and TikTok), you can ban specific words.

• Go to Settings > Privacy > Hidden Words.

• Add Custom Words:

  • Forex

  • Crypto

  • Investment

  • Mining

  • Shein

  • Ambassador

  • Promote

Now, look at your comments. They are clean. The bots are still trying to comment “Promote it on @FashionNova!”, but the app intercepts the message and throws it in the trash before you even see it. It is bliss. Silence.

3. The “Group Chat” Nightmare (WhatsApp & Telegram)

This is the most intrusive one. You are minding your own business, and suddenly you are added to a WhatsApp group called “VIP STOCK TIPS 🚀💰” with 200 other confused people.

Do not just leave the group. If you just leave, they will add you back. Or they will sell your number to another list because they know you are “Active.”

The Two-Step Kill:

1. Report the Group: Tap the group name. Scroll down. Hit “Report Group.” This flags their number to WhatsApp. If enough people do this, their number gets banned.

2. Change Privacy Settings:

   • Go to Settings > Privacy > Groups.

   • Change “Who can add me to groups” to “My Contacts Only.”

Now, strangers literally cannot add you. They will try, and they will get an error message. You have just closed the front door.

4. The “Report” Dilemma (Does it even work?)

I know what you are thinking. “Rahul, I reported 50 accounts last week and Instagram sent me a notification saying they didn’t violate community guidelines. It’s a joke.”

I know. It makes me want to scream too. How is a profile named “Free_Money_Hack” with zero posts not violating guidelines?

But here is the thing: You have to keep doing it. Reporting trains the AI. Even if they don’t ban that specific account today, your report adds data to the pile. When 1,000 people report the same type of “Crypto Bio,” the AI eventually learns to ban that pattern.

Pro Tip: Don’t report it as “Spam.” Report it as “Scam or Fraud.” Spam is a low priority (annoying). Fraud is a high priority (illegal). The Trust & Safety teams take “Fraud” tickets much more seriously.

The Tangent (Why are they always so bad at English?)

(Have you noticed that scammers never use spellcheck? It’s always “Kindly send the code” or “Hii dear how are doing?” Some experts say they do this on purpose. They want to filter out smart people. If you are smart enough to notice the typo, you are too smart to fall for the scam. They want the people who don’t notice bad grammar, because those are the easiest targets. It’s actually a brilliant, evil filter mechanism).

5. The “Soft Block” (Remove Follower)

Sometimes, the account isn’t harassing you, but it’s just… lurking. It’s a “Hot Girl” bot that follows you and watches your stories but never says anything.

These are Scraper Bots. They are collecting data on who you interact with. Get them off your list.

1. Go to your Followers.

2. Search for “User1234” (or just scroll and find the ones with no profile pictures).

3. Tap Remove.

You don’t need to block them (they aren’t attacking you), but you don’t want them drinking your data. Prune your garden. Keep it for real friends only.

Final Thought: The “Nuclear Option”

If you are getting hit by 50+ accounts a day, you have been targeted by a bot swarm. Blocking won’t stop it fast enough.

You have to go Private. Just for 48 hours. Bots can’t follow private accounts easily without approval. If you lock your account for two days, the bot script usually gives up and moves on to an easier target. It sucks to hide, but sometimes you have to wait out the storm.

Just keep hitting that “Block Future Accounts” button. It’s the only weapon we have left.