Why are there so many Instagram bots? How to tackle to surge in social media scammers

While there are billions of Instagram users, a majority of them have been noticing a rise in scam accounts that are offering free giveaways in the form of Shein hauls, iPhones and money recently.

The accounts have been tagging users in posts offering free things, and also have been seen in the comment sections of many posts spamming users.

The issue has always taken place on the app but has increased in recent weeks, leading to frustrations, with one user tweeting: "Is it just me or are there so many bots on Instagram lately like? IDK if my account’s just been unlucky or what but I have been tagged/messaged/follow requested by so many scams/bots in the past week. GIRL leave me alone."

A spokesperson for Meta told Cosmopolitan UK: "We are currently investigating this issue and have already removed a large quantity of accounts for violating our scam policies.”