Meta has launched an aggressive campaign against a scam artist operating on Instagram and other social platforms. The actions of Idriss Qibaa, who claims to be a “professional in blocking and recovering accounts,” have gone beyond the pale.
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A Clever Scheme
This individual has reportedly set up a lucrative extortion system that leverages the weaknesses in account reporting mechanisms. According to 404Media, he rakes in over $600,000 a month from this scam.
The operational method involves two steps. The first is to get Instagram accounts banned on demand. Using a tactic of massive report filings, he manipulates Meta’s automatic moderation algorithms to disable accounts, often without valid reason. The second step is to offer account restoration for a ransom. Having blocked these accounts himself, he then offers the victims a chance to reactivate their accounts for several thousand dollars. If they decline, he threatens to ban them again.
In his own words during the No Jumper podcast, he claims to receive over 200 payments per month from desperate users trying to regain access to their accounts. He also operates on X, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, and Telegram. He offers services like artificially inflating follower counts and other manipulations on these platforms.
Threats and Legal History
Idriss Qibaa’s activities extend beyond financial extortion. According to the lawsuit, he has also threatened to kill certain victims who refused to cooperate. He is already known to authorities: in August 2024, he was charged with harassment after sending thousands of hateful messages and threats, sometimes accompanied by violent images.
In February 2024, Meta had already revoked Idriss Qibaa’s access to Facebook and Instagram, but he quickly created new accounts to bypass these bans. In response to this widespread fraud, Meta has taken a strong stance. We will consider all legal and coercive options to protect our users. These abuses violate our terms of use, and we are committed to combating these malicious activities
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