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What Happens When You Actually DM a ‘DM to Collab’ Instagram Scammer

I tried it. Here’s what I learned.

Zulie Rane
OneZero
6 min readNov 23, 2020

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Photo illustration; source: Tim Robberts/Getty Images

I recently started posting regularly on my Instagram account, and I have about 1,200 followers. But I wouldn’t call myself an influencer, unless I’m influencing people to write more and drink coffee, which is pretty much all I post about.

My main goal, as anyone who checks out my account would be able to see in an instant, is to have a nice place to post selfies and share a bit more of my real life. It’s not to sell anything — I don’t have a single sponsored or branded post on my feed.

Nevertheless, brand after brand after brand leaves eerily similar comments on my feed, asking that I DM them to “collab.”

Screenshot from my IG account

The first time I got this comment, honestly, I was a little flattered. I checked out the account, realized it sold random stuff, and figured they’d made a mistake.

The second, third, fourth, and umpteenth time it happened, I was annoyed. Then, I got irritated. And finally, after blocking, banning, and reporting what felt like dozens of these, only to have new iterations continue commenting on my posts…

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OneZero
OneZero

Published in OneZero

OneZero is a former publication from Medium about the impact of technology on people and the future. Currently inactive and not taking submissions.

Zulie Rane
Zulie Rane

Written by Zulie Rane

Writer and cat mom. Opinions are my own. This is my just-for-fun profile! My official Medium profile is @Zulie_at_Medium.

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