In February 2022, Instagram announced that it was testing a new feature that allows users to get back access to their accounts with some help from fellow Instagram friends. Hacked accounts are a fairly common problem, with bad actors even doing it for a fee. In addition, there is no dearth of scams asking users to click on a malicious link in order to verify their account security, only to lure unsuspecting users into sharing their credentials instead.

The suspicious text messages usually start with lines like “Tap to get back into your Instagram account” followed by a link. Similar scams are targeting Twitter users as well. Online swindlers often take over an account and try to peddle bogus schemes like crypto investments with unprecedented returns, especially if the account happens to have a sizeable following. While celebrities and influencers get priority assistance from Instagram’s support team, regular users are often stuck in a tiring cycle with little help. To make the process of account recovery a tad less frustrating, Instagram announced that it's testing a new system that allow users to ask friends to verify the legitimate account owner’s identity and speed up the process