- Meta filed a lawsuit this week accusing a man of selling Instagram handles and “unauthorized” account reinstatement services.
- The Instagram usernames were listed at prices ranging from $700 to $50,000, the lawsuit says.
- Meta also filed another lawsuit this week, alleging a different user engaged in similar violations.
Meta is cracking down on the buying and selling of Instagram accounts and “unauthorized” account reinstatement services.
In two separate lawsuits this week, the company took aim at people it alleged had violated its terms by offering these kinds of services. It’s the first time Meta has taken this type of legal action in the US.
On Tuesday, Meta filed a lawsuit in California against Daniel Folger, a photographer and entrepreneur. The lawsuit alleges Folger “sold Instagram usernames and unauthorized Instagram account reinstatement services.”
The suit says Folger began offering and selling Instagram usernames in 2022 and continued those activities through February 2025. Prices for the usernames ranged from $700 to $50,000. The lawsuit includes documentation of content posted to Folger’s accounts, including a list of usernames for sale.
Instagram’s terms of service include a clause saying users cannot “buy, sell, or transfer any aspect of your account,” including usernames.
Meta’s suit also alleges Folger “conspired” with a Meta contractor to “misuse the internal Meta appeal channel in order to circumvent Meta’s enforcement action and reinstate” an account that Meta had disabled.
Folger did not respond to a request for comment.
Meta filed two similar lawsuits this week
On Tuesday, Meta filed a similar lawsuit against Idriss Qibaa, alleging he sold unauthorized Instagram services like “the ability to disable user accounts” and “user account reinstatement services.” The suit also accuses Qibaa of selling “fake engagement services intended to artificially inflate followers on Instagram user accounts.”
The Meta suit references a 2024 podcast in which Qibaa agrees with the host’s description of him as a “professional when it comes to the banning and unbanning of Instagram accounts.”
“During this podcast, QIBAA outlined an extortion scheme he has perpetrated against multiple victims,” the suit continues.
Qibaa has been indicted in a separate criminal case, scheduled for trial in May, alleging that he sent messages threatening to injure or kill two victims, the Meta suit says.
Business Insider was not able to reach Qibaa. His lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
The market for Instagram usernames
The underground market for Instagram services is nothing new. Last year, BI reported that there were several Facebook Groups where users were trading monetization-eligible accounts. At extremes, some Instagram users have had their accounts held hostage for ransom or faced harassment.
But these new lawsuits suggest Instagram is taking a harder line — at least on the people it believes are the worst offenders.
“We will consider all enforcement and legal options to protect people on our platforms,” a Meta spokesperson told BI. “These particular abuses target users and violate our policies, and we are committed to countering these malicious activities.”
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