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“One of my clients in Chicago has been getting several likes a day on their Instagram from India. It has completely skewed our insights but I don’t know why it is happening. It started after we updated their profile but I have checked everything and nothing indicates that they are a non-US company. I am so confused as to why they are all of a sudden being shown to a majority Indian population. No paid ads. All organic. Anyone else had this happen?”
Are you concerned that your Instagram account is being flooded by fake likes from India? If so, you’re not alone.
In a recent Facebook post, social media strategist Maddie Clay describes how one of her clients in Chicago was suddenly getting dozens of likes a day from India, despite having no connection to that country. The likes appeared to be organic, with no paid advertising involved, and they were skewing the client’s insights data.
So what could be causing this strange phenomenon? One possibility is that the client’s account has been targeted by a click farm.
Click farms are businesses that exist solely to generate fake social media activity. They do this by creating fake accounts or by using bots to like and share posts. Often, the goal of this activity is to make a page or profile look more popular than it really is, in order to lure potential customers or investors.
There’s no definitive answer as to why some accounts are being targeted by Indian click farms, but it’s likely due to the fact that India has one of the world’s largest populations of internet users. With so many people online, it’s a ripe market for spammy businesses looking to generate fake engagement.
So if you’re worried that your account is being targeted by a click farm, what can you do? Here are a few tips:
- Take a close look at the likes you’re receiving. If they all come from fake-looking accounts with no profile pictures or bios, it’s likely that they’re coming from a click farm.
- Check the timing of the likes. If you’re getting a large number of likes within a short period of time, it’s another sign that they’re coming from a click farm.
- Compare the location data of your followers to the location data of the likes you’re receiving. If there’s a discrepancy, it could be an indication that the likes are coming from a different country.
If you suspect that your account is being targeted by a click farm, there are steps you can take to remove and block unwanted ghost accounts and protect your account. You can learn more about click farms and how to report them on the Instagram Help Center.
Use two-factor authentication. This security feature will help protect your account from unauthorized access.- Report any suspicious activity to Instagram. If you see something that looks like spam or fake engagement, report it to Instagram using the reporting tools available on the app.
Have you ever noticed fake likes or comments coming from India on your Instagram account? How did you deal with it? Let us know in the comments!
