Instagram Deleted my Account Because Someone else Impersonated me

Sometime in January, 2020, a friend send me a DM on Instagram showing me a page that was impersonating me (by posting my own pictures on their page pretending to be me but using a different name) a page which was created this January and goes by the by username @joyjames331 (https://instagram.com/joyjames331?igshid=vpzdae3eu5st). This account is fraudulent as it was posting ponzi schemes and attaching fake screenshots of money multiplication. 

He was also posting my many pictures alongside dignitaries, pictures I took during my official trips abroad. I have a lot of pics about my work both national and internationally. This is conveyed in the pictures I post so this sort of serves the goal of this scammer as they could use my pictures to convey that of a successful person. They post my pictures taken with these people in order to convey that their ponzi scam scheme works and to lure people to buy in with the hopes of traveling abroad and making lots of money (as supposedly shown from my pictures that he posts).

I was shocked because this page had stolen all my pictures including ones posted very recently of my trip to Spain as part of the Nigerian delegation for the COP25. I informed all my friends and asked them to report the page because I didn’t want to engage the page yet so that I don’t risk getting blocked. Some of my friends commented directly under his fake photo of me and calling him a scammer but he blocked them. They reported the page but it was not taken down. So i made this public post below then informing people that an impersonator was on the prowl using my pictures to defraud people. But Instagram didn't take any action.

This was a month ago.

After that time, I forgot about the incidence thinking that Instagram must have taken down the page. On 28th February two days ago was my birthday so I uploaded some pictures.

But just this evening (1st March), another different friend sent me a DM that somebody was impersonating me and in his words, the person has also uploaded my recent birthday pictures which I uploaded today. That made me very angry so I went to the page and reported to Instagram that the page was pretending to be me — but to my utmost shock, after a while I noticed that Instagram logged me out of my account. When I tried to log back in I was told that my account has been deactivated because I am pretending to be someone else. WHAT???

But someone was pretending to be me. It seems that he reported me to Instagram that I am the culprit. Unfortunately, I am the victim and the page is still very active even after many of my friends have reported it. This raises a new question, does this mean that instagram do not verify people claims before going ahead to delete an account? Or at least give a warning or give the other person a fair hearing before taking any action. In these days of Social Media surge, it takes a lot of work for one to build a social media page with following and with substantial amount of information only to have it removed without any questions asked?

I am still very shocked as to how Instagram deactivated my account because this scammer reported it, but did not deactivate their account when several of my friends reported it.

I ask that Instagram looks at my account and reactivate it - @glory_shirley

But most importantly, stop this scammer @joyjames331 before he defrauds more people using my pictures. Please report him NOW. Play your role so that more people don’t fall victim. This is what you should do:

1) Go to this kink:

https://instagram.com/joyjames331?igshid=vpzdae3eu5st

2) Click on the user name

3) It will lead you to the profile home page

4) click the three dots on the top right

5) click ‘report account’

6) Choose ‘inappropriate content’

7) choose that the person is pretending to be someone else

The above picture is a current screenshot of the page with my recent birthday pictures which i posted on 1st March already shared by him.

Instagram has now deleted my account for no just cause without giving me a chance to appeal. What a Birthday gift. Lol. My main worry is that this fraudulent guy is still on the prowl stealing my pictures and there’s no stopping him. His page is still active. I thought that protection of its customers is the priority of Instagram?

Ciao