Instagram introduces new tools to help hacked accounts

(AP file photo)

Instagram have announced that they have set up a new "comprehensive destination" to help people whose accounts may have been hacked.

Starting now, you can visit Instagram.com/hacked and report activities using your account that you were not aware of. The new support page will then ask you a series of questions, and try to help resolve the problem.

The page is also set up to help people who may have forgotten their password, or lost access to authenticators, in case you use two-factor authentication.

Earlier this year, Instagram started a testing a way for users to let friends or family validate the authenticity of an account, and this has now been rolled out to everyone.

The Meta-owned social media platform said that if you find yourself locked out of an account, you can use up to two Instagram friends to confirm your identity.

Instagram announced some new updates to its automated systems as well, which can now remove known malicious accounts or accounts that impersonate others.

It will also send users alerts if it suspects that a fake account is sending you requests. In the coming months, Instagram will also introduce warnings for businesses that send you Direct Messages (DM).

Instagram has expanded the scope of the verified badge, and it will now be shown in Profiles, Stories and DMs. Soon, you will also see them in Feeds. This will help users determine a genuine account.