Instagram giant with 57 million followers falls prey to cyber extortion, loses ₹50 lakh

Azim Ahmed, 28, a social media powerhouse boasting 57 million followers across 96 Instagram pages, has become the latest victim of a sophisticated digital extortion racket, losing ₹50 lakh to cyber fraudsters who threatened to “strike” and delete his accounts.

The Jabalpur native, a software engineer-turned-digital entrepreneur, created his first Instagram page in 2017. It went viral during the Covid lockdown of 2021, propelling him to social media stardom and prompting the launch of his digital marketing venture, Whoopy Digital, alongside friends. But fame has come at a cost.

“For almost a year, I have been receiving fake copyright strikes and threats. They claim my posts are theirs and warn me that my accounts will be deleted if I don’t pay,” Ahmed revealed. Over time, repeated payments to the extortionists accumulated to ₹50 lakh.

The threats escalated to harassing phone calls and counterfeit “Instagram strike” emails. One caller from Pune, posing as a mediator, demanded ₹25,000 to ₹30,000 to remove fake strikes.

Jabalpur Cyber Cell in-charge, Neeraj Negi, confirmed this is the first case in the city involving extortion through fake content strikes. “This is a new-age cybercrime trend. Fraudsters are exploiting Instagram’s automated content systems. Multiple fake strikes can trigger account suspensions,” he said.

Authorities are now coordinating with Instagram to trace the source of these fraudulent strikes and bring the perpetrators to justice. Meanwhile, Ahmed’s story serves as a stark warning about the rising dangers lurking behind social media fame.