It’s 4:17 AM and ChistinaMiller21 wants to chat. Her Instagram account is private and she has just four posts and 15 followers. While her username implies she’s 21, her bio says she’s 24. Later, in a direct message, she’ll say she’s 22. Who is Chistina (no “r”) Miller? She’s a student from Leeds. Where in Leeds? “Hyde Park.” What does she study? “Designer.”
If an account with zero followers, zero pictures and no link in their bio DMs you a flame emoji, what are they hoping for?
If you have an Instagram account, you also have a dirty little secret. Whether eight, 80, 280, or 80,000 people follow you, it’s likely that one or two of them are women like Chistina. That is to say, they’re not really women at all. They’re porn bots; “22yo girls looking for some fun;” frequent users of the red-and-black “no one under 18” emoji.
Porn bots have plagued Instagram for years. We’ve all got so used to them flooding into our follower requests and liking our pictures that no one really questions who’s behind them and what they want. Yet, in recent months, things have become more obscure. Accounts have stopped going for the obvious “name-name-number” handle, and now slip into your DMs rather than commenting directly on your photos. And who’s foolish enough to give them it?
I click on the link ChistinaMiller21 sends over and am invited to “FUCK ON THE VERY SAME EVENING.” Clicking the big blue box marked “Continue” redirects me to another site (that only works on mobile and not desktop) called TopGirlsHere. Do you agree to this request?”) I’m redirected again to WellHello, a run-of-the-mill “dating, hook up, and swingers” site that wants you to pay for “UNLIMITED ACCESS” to women.
It’s a tale as old as time and a song as old as rhyme, so surely no one in 2019 is falling for it and handing over their credit card details?