If so, you were also a victim of my Instagram account getting hacked.

I began to get messages from followers on Tuesday alerting me to this scam. I’m so grateful to you for:

1. Not taking the bait
2. Caring enough about my safety to sound the alarm

The experience chilled my insides, that anyone can steal followers simply by asking to follow you. I’ve been judicious in who I allow viewership. If you choose to have access, but have a private site with no posts, no followers, and I’ve never heard of you, I hit decline and block the request.

But a good friend reminded me that he fell into those categories – except for name recognition –  so I may not have been as cautious as I thought necessary.

I got the right advice from a former client (and current millennial) who pointed me to the gear icon where I found the drop-down menu and the option to report an incident. The good news is, that account is gone.

My favorite take-away from the experience is positive, particularly the follower who said, “I knew it couldn’t be you. The spelling and grammar were atrocious.”