Creators on Instagram say they are losing money and access to their profiles after scammers filed false copyright complaints, then demanded payment to withdraw the strikes. Repeated notices can lead to temporary removals or demonetisation, putting revenue and commercial deals at risk while platform reviews run for weeks.
Olly, who runs the Lost in Time History account and has 1.5 million followers, said he posts material from the public domain or with permission but was hit by dozens of what he calls "obviously fake" complaints during 2026. He told reporters he paid $50 (£37) in cryptocurrency to have his account restored because waiting for Meta’s review would take weeks and had previously cost him thousands in lost revenue. "They'll demand a certain amount of money," he said of the people who contact him, and after paying he was struck again. "That's the worst part," he added.
Other creators described similar consequences. Abin Tom Sebastian, behind the Morbid Kuriosity account, said the disruptions led to lost brand deals because contracts shifted to other creators while his account was affected. "Meta was not helpful throughout the entire process, forcing you to pay for support to talk, even as they claim to be here for the creator," he said.
Reporters spoke to three people who file copyright notices yet are not the rights holders. Two denied profiting and said they submit claims after being sent accounts to review. A third shared messages seen by reporters asking for $900 (£668) to withdraw a strike and said they kept the payment. Observed messages from claimants included demands for money or threats of further strikes, and investigators and law enforcement agencies warn victims not to pay ransoms because doing so fuels criminal markets.
Creators also pointed out that Instagram offers 24/7 live chat support to users who pay a £9.99 monthly fee for verification, a detail some say shapes who can access faster remediation. Meta defended its systems in a written statement: "We understand this can be frustrating for those impacted, and our systems are designed to protect people from this happening in the first place. Following our review, we have restored the affected content and added additional protections to safeguard accounts against further attempts of this kind." The company reiterated that only copyright holders, or authorised representatives, may report infringement and advised affected users to contact rights holders directly.
After being shown examples of the attacks, Meta said it had applied extra protections to the affected accounts to prevent repeat attempts. For now, creators face a stark choice between a slow appeals process and paying intermediaries to end strikes, and several say that balance leaves them exposed to repeated disruption and lost earnings.
