Instagram creators say scammers are exploiting the platform's copyright complaint system to extort money from them, filing bogus infringement claims and then demanding ransoms to withdraw them. Because Meta does not verify the authenticity of complaints when they are lodged, repeated claims can see accounts temporarily suspended or demonetised, pushing creators to pay up rather than face lengthy appeals or lost income. The issue matters because it highlights a gap in Meta's moderation systems that criminals are actively exploiting, while genuine creators bear the financial and reputational cost.

One affected user, Olly, who runs the 1.5-million-follower Lost in Time History account, said he received dozens of "obviously fake" copyright complaints in 2026, often from the same email address, before being contacted via Telegram and asked for a few hundred dollars to drop the claims. He eventually paid $50 in cryptocurrency to restore his account, only to be hit with further strikes shortly afterwards, and says the repeated claims led to his account being demonetised. Another creator, Abin Tom Sebastian of Morbid Kuriosity, said he lost brand contracts and found Meta's support unhelpful unless paying its £9.99 monthly Verified subscription. Meta said it had reviewed the cases raised by the BBC, restored affected content and added extra account protections, while advising that only rights holders or authorised representatives can legitimately report copyright infringement.